


False Dichotomy

by TheMaraD



Series: PotC AU [1]
Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:02:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 56,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26883343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMaraD/pseuds/TheMaraD
Summary: Movies AU.Charlie LaChance takes a drunken wrong turn and winds up in Port Royal, working with the last person she'd expect - Commodore James Norrington - to help Jack Sparrow get back his beloved Black Pearl. Undead pirates, Davy Jones, and a depressed former Commodore turned Admiral turned former Admiral - what has her drunken stumble got her into?
Relationships: James Norrington/Original Female Character(s)
Series: PotC AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2192031
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	1. Part 1: Sometimes I Take Seriousness Humorously

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously I do not own the franchise. This is an AU because Norrington didn't have to die and because I can.
> 
> I'm doing my damnedest to not make Charlie into a sexy lamp and to not make this just some incredibly boring rewrite of the movies.
> 
> I promise when you see Part 1 before the chapter names, it's on purpose! The idea is that Part 1 is the first movie, Part 2, the second, and Part 3 is the third.
> 
> Many thank yous to Jes and Rell, my eyes and ears on this.
> 
> Chapter titles taken from the Principia Discordia. It just felt appropriate. Fnord. Hail Eris, Hail yes.

Whoever had recommended Port Royal was going to hang the next time Charlie LaChance found them. A gunshot rangout behind her and the side of the house next to her sprayed rock on the ground and her jacket. Ducking around a corner, she muttered, “oh, wait, Port Royal was my excellent idea.” Drunk Charlie had thought a wee vacation would do her a world of good, but instead of relaxing in Tortuga with rum in hand, Sober Charlie was running for her life from the Royal Navy. All the boats in the last port looked the same when it was the middle of the night and the man who had (unknowingly) supplied her drink had enough in his bottle to knock out an elephant or seven.

Port Royal was not exactly friendly to pirates, from the bodies hung in warning by the shipyard to the large Royal Navy presence. Sober Charlie would have made sure to avoid it.

“Drunk Charlie can hang,” she grumbled, checking the alley for a way out. Every door she ran past was bolted. It was hard to tell what would await her at the other end of the alley, but it had to be better than the Royal Navy behind her.

As if in reminder another shot rang out against the stone to her left. “Time to make a run for it.” Times like this made her grateful she had not worn dresses since she left home.

Her given surname must have been ironic. The second she left the alley she ran face-first into a stern-looking man in a Naval Captain’s uniform. “Going somewhere?”

“I don’t suppose you’re offering to let me get a drink at the tavern?” she asked with a bright grin. “Or to buy me one?”

The Captain avoided her eyes, but she could have sworn she saw mirth in the smirk he wore. Instead of answering, he grabbed her wrists and clapped them in irons. “In two days time, you will hang for your crimes.”

“And what crimes might they be?”

“Theft, for one.”

“Captain, is one roll of bread really worth my life?”

He leaned in close and slowly slid the sleeve of her shirt up, revealing her pirate brand and a tattoo of two stylised Ls. It had been many years since she had the mirrored image tattooed on her to represent the surname she had earned. Very few knew the surname given to her by birth. “You tell me, Pirate,” he growled. “Take her away!”

“Great,” she muttered to herself as her escorts circled closely and walked her to the jail. At least, she supposed, she was afforded the dignity of walking there herself instead of being carried or dragged. The pirate brand was evidently enough to allow her to swing without a trial, but would the Captain look into her tattoo to find out who she was or let her hang on the brand alone?

The soldiers marched her through the entrance to the fort and into the depths of the jail as she took in every detail around her - most notably the gallows. They were set up in the centre of the fort. There was no way she would get to the gallows and out alone. She would have to make her escape before.

The jail itself, built into the fort, looked much like any other jail she had been in - dark, dirty, and filled with all manner of reprobates. There was a single empty cell and the rest were crowded. If she had to guess, it was because the occupants were recently...well, they were certainly no longer in the land of the living.

The soldiers shoved her into the empty cell, amongst lewd comments and whistles from the men the next cell over.

“Oh, excellent service and a sea view!” she exclaimed as she looked out into the port below. “Gentlemen, I thank you. I shall be sure to leave a tip before my departure.”

While the soldiers did not rise to the occasion, one of the men in the next cell over offered to give her his tip. “No, thank you,” she shot back. “I’m afraid I don’t take from those ill-equipped to give.”

Ignoring the hoots and hollers that followed, she laid down in her cell to contemplate her escape.

* * *

The next day while she was watching with amusement as the men in the next cell tried to get the dog to come, a familiar voice echoed down the stairs, protesting his arrest. A chorus of groans rose up when the voices scared off the dog.

“Tell it to the noose tomorrow,” one of the soldiers shot back, sounding exhausted. She could not blame him - Jack Sparrow arguing his way out of a situation would be enough to exhaust even the most stalwart of men and women.

“Looks like you’ll get a cellmate after all, miss,” another soldier sniggered, taking the set of keys from his belt. “Now you stay back there.”

Allowing a smirk to spread slowly across her face, she asked, “Why? Are you afraid I’m going to charge you, steal your gun, and escape?” The look on his face was priceless. She wished she had a way to enshrine it forever in her memory. “Wouldn’t be prudent in the middle of the day, now, would it?”

“Maybe your last night on God’s green Earth won’t be so bad,” the first one laughed, shoving Jack Sparrow down the last few stairs. “Why are you just standing there?”

“I think she’s going to try to escape.”

The other soldier laughed. “Through both of us and the entire garrison?”

“...maybe?”

“Just open the door,” the other guard sighed. “Enjoy your last evening, Sparrow.”

Jack raised an eyebrow at the sight of her as he approached the door. “Captain Sparrow,” he corrected. “And I doubt it. She’s just as like to kill me as you are, mate.”

Charlie suppressed a smile. Jack knew she would not kill him, just as he knew they would escape before the soldiers could send them to the gallows.

“Well, maybe she’ll save us some time and rope, then. In you go.”

Jack stumbled a little as the guard who shoved him giggled with delight before slamming the cell door shut and retreating back up the stairs. The other guard hung Jack’s effects, then followed his colleague.

“Fancy meeting you here, Jack.”

Years of knowing Jack Sparrow taught her that his grin meant he was up to something. Whether she would benefit from it or not remained to be seen. “And what’s brought you to this fine establishment, love?”

“Too much rum and the wrong ship in the dark of night.”

Jack looked over his shoulders, checking to make sure they were not overheard. “Sunken dinghy,” he whispered dramatically. The sound of the men in the next cell calling the dog resumed and Jack turned abruptly towards the noise. “How long’s that been going on for?”

“Longer than I’ve been here, I imagine,” she shrugged.

He leaned closer to her to whisper, “Should we tell them?”

Charlie grinned. “And ruin the only entertainment in this place?”

With an ear to ear grin and a dramatic turn around the cell, Jack asked in a louder voice, “So when do they serve dinner? I’m starving!”


	2. Part 1: A Jug of Wine, A Leg of Lamb, and Thou! Whistling Beside Me in the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Same notes as chapter 1 - not mine, just for funsies

After dinner, which turned out to be a lavish one course meal of mouldy bread, Charlie and Jack sat at opposite sides of the stone ledge along the back of the cell. Whatever their escape plan would be, they would need to be well-rested. 

The next cell over, the prisoners had found a bone they were using to tempt the dog.

“You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to move,” Jack grunted.

“Oh, excuse us if we haven’t resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet.” The desperation and fear in the man’s voice was palpable, but Charlie was exhausted and the constant bargaining with the dog was getting on her nerves.

“Would you mind at least employing your futility quietly? We are trying to rest over here,” she grumbled. As she tipped her hat back down over her eyes, she caught Jack's smirk.

“I don’t know what those words mean, Miss, but we ain’t going to the gallows quietly,” the prisoner replied before turning back to the dog.

Charlie sat up with a growl. “That dog only answers to one man and I’m fair sure he’s not even in the Caribbean, let alone Port Royal. So why don’t you use the stupid bone to try to pick the -,” she was cut off by the sound of a boom and a whistle. “Canon fire.”

“I know those guns,” Jack muttered, leaping up to the window in a flash. Charlie was beside him in an instant.

An ominous cloud seemed to have settled over the city, and a ship with black sails and a black hull was in the bay, firing on the fort. Charlie recognised the ship. She had known the ship since before its hull was painted.

“It’s the Pearl,” Jack whispered, reverently.

“Why is she firing on the fort, Jack?”

The prisoners in the next cell moved slowly toward the dividing bars, casting leery glances between them. The one closest to the divide braced himself against the bars, the bone he had been using to tempt the dog forgotten. “The Black Pearl? I’ve heard stories. She’s been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years.” He looked down and took a shaky breath before looking back up at Charlie and Jack. “Never leaves any survivors.”

“No survivors?” Jack asked. “Where do the stories come from, I wonder.”

The prisoners glanced around, looking for an answer between them. Clearly they had not thought the story through. Charlie turned back to the window, leaving the prisoners to contemplate Jack’s question. Out in the bay the Pearl continued to lay waste to the town, the fort shaking with cannon fire every so often. Above them the soldiers on the ramparts returned fire, shouting orders. She could hear them clearly, with one soldier barking more loudly than the others. The one in charge, she presumed.

Below, long boats sailed seemed to seep from the Pearl into the foggy night toward the town. Screams echoed into the night. 

Beside her, Jack watched the battle unfold. The only sign of his anger was the occasional twitch of his eye, or tick at the corner of his mouth. His fingers were curling and uncurling around the bars of the window.

“When we get out of here, you’re going to tell me what the hell happened, Jack,” Charlie bit out. It occurred to her that every time they had seen one another over the last decade had been on land, in one port or another, and she had never thought to ask about the Pearl. Thinking back on it, she realised he had been a little off, but she had just put that down to Jack being Jack.

“When we get out of here I’m getting me ship back.”

“We,” she corrected. “We are getting your ship back. And you are going to explain.”

He grinned ear to ear, though it did not quite reach his eyes. “Didn’t know you felt that way about me, love.”

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Your father would kill me if I left you to do this alone.” His expression sank a little so she added, “And I’ve come to tolerate you. A little.”

A split second after she heard the approaching whistle, Jack pushed Charlie to the ground, covering her with his body as the cannonball struck the wall. The hole left behind by the blast was large enough for a person to escape, but only on one side of the bars - the side they were not on.

“My sympathies, friends. You’ve no manner of luck at all,” one of the other prisoners offered before following his fellow inmates out the hole and into the night.

Charlie took Jack’s proffered hand to help her up, then ran to the gap in the wall. She began shoving the bars with her shoulders in a futile effort to widen the gap, grunting with the effort. “Maybe we can force the hole to -” Jack’s gentle hand on her shoulder caused her to stop pushing and turn.

“I don’t think either of us would be quite enough to push those bars, love.”

A sigh escaped her lips. “So we sit here and wait for the right cannonball to get us?”

“Or we could try the dog? They dropped the bone pretty close to the bars.” He was grinning madly.

“You’re not your father.”

“The dog doesn’t hate me.”

“Doesn’t mean he’ll listen to you.”

“Doesn’t mean he won’t,” Jack countered petulantly, turning abruptly and bending to pick up the bone.

“We could always try to sharpen the bone and pick the lock,” she offered as he bent at the front of the cell. “And by ‘we’ I mean ‘me’. I could pick the lock. You’re terrible at it.”

“Am not!” he grumbled, waving the bone around. “Here, doggie!” Either the whistling or the bone seemed enough to at least rouse the dog from his hiding place under the bench. The dog perked up and slowly walked toward Jack.

“Maybe you do look a bit like your father,” she teased as she took a seat on the ledge.

“You shut your mouth,” he chirped in his still happy voice, evidently leery of scaring the dog off. “Come on, doggie! Nice bone! Good doggie! Come on! Come on, you filthy, slimy, mangy cur!” 

The bang of the door opening caused the dog to tear off down the stairs next to the cell.

“Oh, come on, I didn’t mean it!”

“Jack, I don’t think it was the -” she stopped and sat up straight at the sound of a bang at the top of the stairs. Two shadows appeared on the wall as the contorted body of a soldier thudded unceremoniously on the last stair. A moment later the shadows resolved themselves into angry pirates.

“This ain’t the armoury!” the older pirate complained, turning back up the stairs.

His companion sheathed his sword, a curious look on his face as he stared at Jack. “Well, well, well…. Look what we have here, Twigg. Captain Jack Sparrow.” He spat on the ground in front of Jack.

“Last we saw you, you were all alone on that God-forsaken island, shrinking into the distance. His fortunes aren’t improved much.” At that moment the pirate, Twigg the other one had called him, seemed to notice Charlie in the cell. “Or are they?”

Jack stepped between Twigg and Charlie, eyes narrowed. “Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen. The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers.”

The unnamed pirate lashed out, grabbing Jack by the throat through the bars. Charlie stopped short of coming to Jack’s rescue when she saw the part of the pirate illuminated by the moonlight was nothing but bone. Fear froze her in place, speechless.

“So there is a curse,” she heard Jack mutter. “That’s interesting.”

“You know nothing of Hell,” the pirate growled, releasing Jack. The two pirates stalked off up the stairs.

“That’s very interesting.”

It took a few minutes for Charlie to find her voice again. “What was that?” she breathed, still sat on the ledge.

“A long story,” Jack muttered, still staring after the departed pirates.

“Well, with no key, I think we have time, Jack.”

Jack slowly turned around and smiled a bit sadly at her. “Aye, that we do, love.” He joined her on the bench and told her what little he knew.

* * *

Unable to sleep after seeing the cursed pirates and hearing Jack’s story, Charlie spent the rest of the night trying to pry through the exposed bars at the rear of the cell while Jack fashioned the lockpick from the discarded bone.

An entire night’s worth of grinding away at the stone and pushing at the metal yielded barely any gain. While the hole was larger than the night before, they would still be hard-pressed to get anything bigger than a rat through it.

A loud shattering of the bars made her step back. For a moment she thought she’d made progress, but when she turned around she saw Jack jamming the sharpened bone roughly into the lock. “What are you doing?!”

“Picking the lock,” he muttered.

“You’re going to break it! You need to be gentle!”

“You worry too much.”

“No, I worry just the right amount in this case - you’re going to get us stuck in this bloody place!” She crossed the cell and tried to reach around Jack to grab the bone, while he awkwardly maneuvered to keep her away from it. “Give me the damned bone, Jack!”

“No!”

The sound of the door at the top of the stairs opening caused them to freeze. Jack tried wrangling the bone out of the door to no avail, while Charlie crossed the cell to sit innocently by the window. After a moment Jack gave up and left the bone, falling back to lay down on the ground as casually as he could.

A young man around twenty descended the stairs and pointed at Jack. “You! Sparrow!”

“Aye?” 

“You are familiar with the Black Pearl?”

“Is that a question or a statement?” Charlie snickered.

“Are you familiar with it?” he repeated with a sigh.

“Aye,” they both answered.

At that moment the bone tumbled from the lock to the ground. The young man looked at it curiously, then back up to Jack and Charlie, who hid her face in her hand. Idiot, she cursed Jack inwardly.

The young man shook his head. “Where…,” he began, before looking back up at Jack. “Where does it make berth?”

“‘Where does it make berth’?” Jack went on casually, as if the bone had not just dropped. “Have you not heard the stories?” 

The only response he got was a confused look. In all honesty, Charlie had not heard the stories either. Or, rather, she had heard stories, but considering they all involved ghost pirates, she had ignored them. Also, she had figured Jack would not have lost his ship, though clearly she had gotten that part wrong.

“Captain Barbossa,” Jack began with obvious disgust, “and his crew of miscreants sail from the dreaded Isla de Muerta, an island that cannot be found, except by those who already know where it is.”

Charlie could see the pieces snapping into place in the young man’s mind, as he looked down at the ground. “The ship is real enough,” he began slowly, “therefore it’s anchorage must be a real place.” His head snapped back up toward Jack then to Charlie. “Where is it?”

“Why ask us?” Jack was examining his nails with feigned disinterest. With his beloved ship at stake, he would help the boy one way or another. Unfortunately said boy did not know what the ship meant to Jack.

“Because you’re pirates.” As though that explained everything. All pirates know where cursed ghost ships berth!

Charlie grinned. “And you want to turn pirate yourself?”

“Never!” the young man spat. He opened his mouth and closed it again several times before quietly admitting, “They’ve taken Miss Swann.”

“Ah!” Jack exclaimed, sitting up. “So it is that you’ve found a girl!” He slumped a little in place, then cast a glance back at Charlie. They needed to get out and this boy was clearly the way. When she shrugged in response, he continued, “I see. Well, if you intend to brave all, hasten to her rescue, and so win fair lady’s heart, you’ll have to do it alone. There’s no profit in it for us.”

“I can get you out of here.” There was no hesitation in the boy’s voice.

“How’s that? The key’s run off,” Charlie grumbled.

The boy picked up the bone fragment, showing the end had broken off when it fell out of the lock Jack had so roughly jammed it into. “And the replacement was working so well for you?”

Charlie glared at Jack’s back. Idiot.

“So, how is it you think you’re getting us out of here?” Jack chimed in.

“I helped build these cells. These are half pin barrel hinges.” The boy turned around and grabbed one of the benches along the wall opposite. He wedged the legs of the bench into the bottom of the cell bars. “With the right leverage and the proper application of strength, the door will lift free!”

“What’s your name?” Jack asked slowly.

“Will Turner.”

“That’d be short for ‘William’, I’d imagine.” He was not asking, he knew. “Good, strong name. No doubt named for your father, eh?”

It hit Charlie then that Jack knew the kid’s father somehow. And she saw it in the kid’s eyes - he knew it too. What was Jack up to?

There was only the briefest hesitation before the boy answered, “Yes.”

“Ah ha,” Jack exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “Well, Mr. Turner, if you spring us from this cell, I swear on pain of death I shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass.” He looked back to Charlie, then to the boy again. “Do we all have an accord?”

Young Will reached through the bars to shake Jack’s hand.

Charlie squinted at Jack’s back, barely registering their agreement. He had requested they both be sprung, but had said only he would help Will find Miss Swann. What was Jack up to?

Turner sprung the bars, releasing them both. As they hurried through the fort and down to the beach as clandestinely as possible, Charlie wracked her brain to work out what Jack was planning.


	3. Part 1: Nonsense As Salvation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not mine, AU.
> 
> This is where it breaks off from the movies a bit more clearly :)

When they arrived at the beach and Jack informed Will they would be commandeering the Interceptor, while he kept glancing at the Dauntless it hit her what he was up to. Jack needed the navy captain - what was his name again? Norrington? - ready to go as backup. She would have to set the captain up.

Jack led them to an overturned boat and motioned for them to climb underneath. Once under, they checked the way to ensure it was clear of navy men or anyone else who might turn them in. Will noticed a small group of them approaching and they ducked inside the overturned boat, waiting and counting the measured steps for them to pass.

As she waited, Charlie tried to think out how her part could work. Something told her that Norrington would not be swayed by a low-cut top exposing her bosom combined with good old fashioned flattery. She would need to match him to draw him out, pique his curiosity.

Jack motioned for them to lift the boat slightly up and led the way to the water. The boat would hold enough air for them to get to the Dauntless and to board it undetected. They climbed aboard the ship at the stern and crawled carefully to the deck. 

“Everyone, stay calm! We are taking over the ship!” Jack announced as only he could.

“Aye! Avast!” Will added.

Charlie glanced wide-eyed at Jack, then they both turned slowly back to Will. He at least had the good graces to look mildly chagrined. “Don’t ever do that again,” Charlie whispered, certain she was unheard over the raucous laughter of the navy men.

The only officer aboard stepped forward in all his powdered wig glory. “This ship cannot be crewed by two men and a lass. You’ll never make it out of the bay,” he informed them, sneering.

“Son,” Jack began, creeping forward and drawing his pistol. “I’m Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?”

With that Charlie drew her own pistol and helped Jack edge the men to the long boat, offering a goodbye as Jack and Will lowered the boat into the water. “Gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure.”

As soon as the boat was far enough away, Jack instructed Will on what he would need to do in order to look as though they were preparing the boat to sail out to sea. Charlie stood at the table by the wheel, looking for all the world as though she were examining navigational charts.

“Do you have a plan yet?” Jack asked, as Will tossed the ropes about.

“I don’t need a plan, Jack. I’m charming.”

“He put you in jail last time, love. Watch him, he’s sharp.”

“I can handle Norrington, Jack,” she assured him, looking up from the table with a grin. “We’ll meet you at sea and get the Pearl back.”

“I’m counting on you. We’ll need everything we can get against Barbossa,” he added solemnly.

Charlie let a grin she did not fully have confidence in split her face. It was not as though she had managed to come up with a plan for Norrington yet, so it was likely she would end up playing it by ear. “When have I ever let you down?” She cast a glance back at the other ship. “Not to mention he was already stocking up, planning to go after Miss Swann, no doubt. He’ll be easy enough to handle.” Her grin morphed into something more confident. Oh god, she was starting to believe her own words. “Take what you can,” she offered, holding her hand out.

“Give nothing back,” Jack finished, grabbing onto her arm. “Be careful.”

They exchanged a brief nod, as Jack pointed out the other ship coming up on them. “Time to hide.”

While Jack and Will went to the deck, close to the ropes that would allow them to swing to the Interceptor, Charlie went to the Captain’s quarters and began looking around. It was not as though she were really trying to hide from Norrington and his men. Outside she heard the plonk! of the gangplanks settling between the ships and the noise of the men running through the ship. A set of drawers near the door drew her attention. A good spot to be if she were intending to get caught fast!

Almost as soon as she began rummaging in the drawers Norrington appeared. “What do you think you’re -.” Outside the men were screaming, no doubt noticing that Jack and Will now had command of their ship. Norrington grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out on the deck. “Men! Back to the Interceptor! Move, move, move!”

One man tried to swing back to the other ship, only to fall short and end up swimming. A soft laugh escaped Charlie.

“Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way! We’d’ve had a hard time of it by ourselves!” Jack called back, waving his hat about in farewell.

Norrington rounded on her angrily. “We’ll see how you laugh when Sparrow is on the ocean floor.” He turned and stalked to the upper deck, and commanded his second, “Set top sails and clear up this mess!”

“With the wind a quarter a stern, we won’t catch them!”

Halfway up the stairs, Norrington turned. “I don’t need to catch them, just get them in range of the long nines.” Continuing up the stairs, he muttered to Charlie, “Jack Sparrow won’t escape today.”

“Captain,” she corrected on Jack’s behalf. “Captain Jack Sparrow.”

The Commodore glared at her, before turning to watch the fastest ship in the Royal Navy sail away.

“Oh, congratulations on your promotion, by the way, Commodore Norrington.”

After he finished giving commands to the men, the second ran up beside Charlie and Norrington. “We are to fire on our own ship, sir?”

“Why is it you people never question orders before giving them?”

If looks could kill, Charlie would have been lost to Davy Jones. But she did not flinch, holding his gaze as Norrington told his second, “I’d rather see her at the bottom of the ocean than in the hands of a pirate.” He spat the last word out as though it were the most distasteful thing in the world, then turned back to the other ship.

Charlie did not even bother to hide her smirk. Was he ever going to be pissed when he discovered -.

“Commodore,” the helmsman called. “They’ve disabled the rudder chain, sir!”

The Commodore glanced at her, then turned back to the other ship to watch it disappear over the horizon.

His second remarked, “That’s got to be the best pirate I’ve ever seen!”

“So. It. Would. Seem,” Norrington bit out, hands tightening on the ledge. He turned back to Charlie. “Clap her in irons.” With that, he turned to walk back down to the deck. The man radiated anger with every step.

“You’re not the least bit curious why I’m still here instead of on the Interceptor?”

His steps slowed as though he were trying to will them not to, as though he were fighting the curiosity with every fibre of his being. “You know where they’re going,” he muttered without turning around.

“If you want to find Jack Sparrow, you’ll need me, Commodore.”

For the briefest moment she hoped he was going to consider it, but then his posture stiffened again. “And you expect to just lead me into a trap, then? I think not.” He continued walking away. “When we dock, put her back in her cell at the fort.”

* * *

Charlie paced back and forth in her cell, fists clenching and unclenching. The bastard would not even see her, despite multiple requests. Now she was going to have to break out of jail - again! - and find the Commodore, then lead him on a merry chase across the Caribbean to save the girl Turner had gone on about and, more than likely, Jack, though she very much doubted he gave a toss about Captain Jack Sparrow.

It was now nearing sunset, meaning she would be able to escape without notice under cover of darkness.

How the bloody hell was she going to steal a ship and sail it on her own well enough to outrun the Dauntless?

Maybe instead she could sneak on to the Royal Navy ship and hide until the opportune moment, then show Norrington she was not a threat. But how? The man clearly hated pirates, for whatever reason. Royal Navy men were unparalleled in their hatred for pirates, but the Commodore put all that to shame!

The bang of the door echoed down the stairs, followed by the insistence of the guard that someone could not go down.

“I believe you’ll find I can,” an older gentleman’s voice came, insistent. A moment later the man himself came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. “You!” He was everything Charlie would picture in a governor - average height, well-dressed, ridiculous wig, haughty demeanour. If pressed, she would have put the man in his mid fifties.

Charlie looked around the prison and, as she knew she would, saw nobody but herself. “Me?” she asked innocently.

“You know where Sparrow is going.” His voice wobbled as he spoke, concern etched on his face.

“Do I?” Best to keep her hand to herself until she knew the Governor’s motives.

“Enough of this, that...that...pirate!...has my daughter. Do you know where they are going or not?”

Ah. Perhaps she did not need Norrington on her side. “Governor...Swann, was it?” He nodded. “I do indeed know how to find Captain Jack Sparrow and by extension your darling daughter. Trouble is, your Commodore Norrington doesn’t believe my intentions are honourable and so I am stuck in here for the foreseeable future.”

“I will sign a temporary release, if you agree to help us find her!” Desperation dripped from his voice and every fibre of his being.

She considered him for a moment. Would he honour his word? Would Norrington honour the Governor's word? Worse came to worst, she supposed by the time she returned to Port Royal she would have Jack with her. Escape would be infinitely easier then. “No shackles whilst I’m aboard your ship. No binding me below decks. I’ll be free to walk the ship so long as I assist your search.”

“I...I don’t think that….”

Taking a step back, she slowly lowered herself to sit on the ledge at the back of the cell. “We’re running out of time, Governor Swann.” It would do no good to show her own sense of urgency, if she wanted him to grant her requests. “I promise to be a good girl,” she added.

Governor Swann nodded, then turned back to the soldier who had chased him down to the dungeons. “Get me the keys and Commodore Norrington,” he ordered, shooing the soldier up the stairs and following closely behind.

The first stop they would need to make would have to be what Jack’s first stop was - Tortuga. From there, someone at the docks would be able to advise the direction they sailed. Charlie was confident Jack would have some sort of sign for her after that. The problem would be convincing Norrington she was not lying.


	4. Part 1: May The Goddess Put Twinkles in Your Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still don't own PotC, wish I did.
> 
> I realise Gillette was Norrington's second in the movies, but this is my AU so :P

* * *

There was not a cloud in the sky the next evening as they left Tortuga, following the course the Interceptor had taken - at least the course it had taken according to the people Charlie had paid for information back on the island. Of course not everyone on Tortuga was reputable, so she had spoken to many different people from different walks of life - pirates, whores, fishermen, traders, the harbourmaster, tavern owners, tavern workers, and the list went on. With no room for error, she had been unwilling to risk bad information. They were already behind, thanks to her arrest.

That afternoon had brought torrential rain and a near blackout darkness that had caused Norrington to delay their departure from their anchorage just off Tortuga. More delays and more chance she would struggle to find Jack, despite having a heading. 

All around her the sailors were guiding the ship carefully, cleaning the deck, minding the riggings. Norrington’s voice could be heard over it all, barking orders to his men. She did not need to see dirty sailors or uptight officers working, so she turned to the side of the ship and leaned over the water. The smell of the sea, the stars, and the horizon - the only things a pirate worth her salt needed. This was a much better view than the inside of a cell or, indeed, the gallows. Then again, the rattiest tavern in Tortuga was a welcome sight over the gallows.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the sailors slip on the newly washed deck and land flat on his back. Unable to stop herself, she threw her head back and laughed.

Suddenly the ocean breeze changed direction and she wound up with strands of brown hair in her mouth, in her eyes, and up her nose. A smarter woman would have brought something to tie her hair. All evidence was pointing to Charlie definitely not being a smarter woman lately, though this time instead of being drunk, she had been in a hurry. She scrambled to get her locks under control and out of her face. Maybe if she survived she would consider shaving it all off. More practical that way anyway. It was not as though she had any need to look ladylike any longer.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand holding a small piece of rope to the right. “What is-,” she began.

“For your hair,” Norrington’s voice came.

That was unexpected. Apparently he was capable of being kind to a pirate, at least it seemed so if said pirate happened to be a woman. She was not so sure he would be as kind to, say, Jack. “I -,” she abruptly stopped herself before she could say anything stupid. He was being helpful, no need to be a horse’s ass. “Thank you, Commodore.”

His eyes widened almost imperceptibly and he smiled tightly, as though he had not expected her to be civil. “You’re welcome, Miss LaChance.” Clearing his throat and straightening his posture, he continued, “You told Governor Swann you knew where Jack Sparrow was. When you gave us the heading for Tortuga, I assumed you were leading us to him. Yet you’ve returned empty-handed.”

“No kindness without reward, eh, Commodore?” Before he could reply, she added, “I never told him I knew where Jack was, only that I could find him. It’s hardly my fault if the Governor misinterpreted.”

“And you played no part in that misinterpretation,” he retorted with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

“I didn’t correct him, no, but I also didn’t deliberately mislead him,” she admitted. “But we have a heading now. I’m confident we can find them.”

Norrington took a step forward to stand next to her and gaze out over the open ocean and the stars coming out above them. Somehow he seemed more relaxed, less tightly wound than he had been on land. Everything about him still said he was a proper naval officer, from his posture to his tone when he spoke, he was certainly in command. But he was also somehow more comfortable, and though she had not seen it in Port Royal, she would place money on his residence being as close to the sea as possible. There was no doubt in her mind he belonged at sea every bit as much as she did. “What makes you think any information gleaned on Tortuga would be reliable? The whole island is filled with reprobates, thieves, liars, murderers -.”

“I understand your concern, Commodore, but you are under the incorrect assumption you are the only one with any stake in this.” Her tone left no room for argument. The Commodore needed to find Elizabeth and she needed to find Jack. “We are working toward the same goal.” What would her father think if he could see her now, on a Royal Navy ship, arguing with a Commodore. The thought made her grin a little. He would have chastised her until he lost all breath. “And you have to know who to ask, when, and how, if you want to get the correct information on Tortuga.” Letting him know how many people she had paid off would not help at this point.

“I can’t believe we’re putting our faith in a pirate,” he sighed irritably.

“And I can’t believe I’m working alongside the Royal Navy. Guess that makes us even, aye?”

The Commodore smirked tightly next to her.

“I think you’re starting to like me,” she offered, mimicking his expression but not turning to face him.

“Make no mistake, Miss LaChance,” he began, “if you are leading us on some wild fantasy, I will take you to the gallows.” With that parting shot, he turned and walked back to the deck, discussing something with his second, a man named Groves.

Groves came across as more personable than his commanding officer. He smiled and was polite and friendly, even to Charlie. Just that morning he had brought her fruit when he noticed she was not eating with the other sailors in the galley - Norrington would not allow her to eat with the officers. Even now he offered her a friendly smile when he caught her eye. The grin turned sheepish as Norrington followed his gaze, then turned back and presumably chastised him.

Charlie laughed softly to herself then turned back to the emerging stars and the horizon. If she could manage to avoid Norrington’s ire and locate Jack, hopefully she would avoid the gallows and live to sleep under the stars again.

* * *

Later that evening when the sun was fully set and the stars were glittering in the sky, Charlie sat on the stairs to the quarterdeck. It was getting late and she had to start thinking about where to sleep soon. She was already leaning against the railing, trying not to fall asleep. There was no way she would sleep in the crew quarters, not with the smells that were so common there. She was fairly sure Norrington would’ve forbidden it anyway. If he had his way, he would probably have set up a hammock for her in one of the cells so she could not escape. Not that she would really have anywhere to go in the middle of the Caribbean. Thankfully the Governor had enforced the agreement they had made.

The officers quarters were out of the question. That left the deck.

Norrington had already gone to his own quarters for the night, leaving Groves in charge. And because of the late hour there were fewer men on the deck, only a minimal crew. Maybe she could stay relatively out of the way in some quiet corner of the quarterdeck. The added advantage would be she would know immediately if anything noteworthy happened.

A hand on her shoulder startled her to full alertness. Groves was sitting down beside her.

“Sorry, Miss LaChance. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s alright, Lieutenant. The stairs are a poor choice of place to sleep in the middle of the sea anyway,” she noted with a smile, leaning back on her elbows to look up at the stars.

Groves followed suit. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Aye. There’s nothing quite like a clear evening like this out on the sea.”

Without turning to look at her, he asked, “Have you always been at sea?”

A loud bark of laughter escaped before she could stop it. “No,” she chuckled, trying to be quieter so as not to disturb anyone sleeping. “When I was a little girl I was terrified of the water. My father used to threaten to take me to the beach to get me to behave.”

Groves chuckled. “The beach as punishment? I don’t believe that. Children love the beach!”

“I didn’t. Not until I was 10,” she replied, shaking her head fondly at the memory of her first time in the water. “I was staring out my bedroom window and I saw a boy, probably half my age, running into the water. I decided I’d had enough of being afraid and marched down to the beach on my own and went in. From that day, my parents couldn’t get me away from the sea! I remember my 16th birthday, my parents thought I was in my room getting ready for the ball they had planned. But I had run off to a secluded area of the beach. When they found me, my father was furious. Wasn’t long after that I left.” Sometimes when she closed her eyes she could still see the face of the lecherous troll her father had intended to wed her to for the status. But she was not about to let Groves in on that little detail. Not even Jack knew.

“To become a pirate?” he supplied.

Charlie laughed. “No, to avoid dresses and balls.” And avoid marriage to a man three times her age, but she was not about to disclose that. “I disguised myself as a boy and snuck aboard a ship leaving the port. Found myself in Tortuga and met Jack. Pirating...just happened from there. Though I do try not to take form those who can’t afford to give. As does Jack. He’s a good man.”

“It’s not often you hear ‘good man’ and ‘pirate’ together,” Groves said.

“In my experience, they’re not mutually exclusive,” she murmured, suppressing a yawn. “What about you? Is love of the sea why you got into the Royal Navy?”

“Nothing quite so romantic, I’m afraid,” he chuckled. “My father was in the navy. This was always my path.”

“You never wanted anything else? Something more?”

“Like what?” His features screwed up a bit as he looked over at her as though she had lost her mind.

Maybe she had been on the mark earlier - he did not seem to question anything in his life, just accepted it. “Anything. You could be a merchant or a blacksmith or a fisherman or -.”

“I’m a navy man, Miss LaChance, there’s nothing else I could’ve been.”

It sounded too much like slavery to her, but there was no way for her to tell Groves that. A life chosen for you in metaphorical shackles, in the service of a system that did not always do the right thing. Instead she shook her head and turned back to the stars, this time not even attempting to hold back her yawn.

“Tell me you weren’t planning to sleep on the stairs, Miss LaChance.” The amusement in his voice was almost palpable, but she was too tired to care.

“I hadn’t got that far,” she conceded. “Best I can figure, the Commodore wouldn’t appreciate me sleeping with one of his officers and I won’t be sleeping down in the crew quarters, so that leaves little option.” The look on his face when she talked about sleeping with the officers was exactly what she had hoped for, slightly aghast and taken back, but she could not muster more than a soft chuckle. “I’m joking, Lieutenant. I wasn’t planning on sleeping with anyone on this ship just to get a comfortable bed. But I do believe my options are limited to the deck or the cells, and given the view, I think I’ll stick with the deck.”

“I’m on duty on the quarterdeck all through the night.”

“Is that your promise to be quiet?” she laughed.

“It’s an offer of a free bed.” When she looked to him, his head was down and his cheeks slightly red. “I won’t be using it.”

Her jaw worked a few times before words came out. “That’s not necessary, Lieutenant, I -.”

“Please, Miss LaChance, it’s no trouble. Commodore Norrington will wake and be on the quarterdeck again at dawn. I suggest you try to rest until then.”

“I can’t imagine he’d approve,” she laughed.

“Then you’d best wake before he does.” Groves finally looked up and smirked conspiratorially.

Charlie accepted his proffered hand as he stood up and pointed her in the direction of his quarters with another reminder of when to wake. It was dreadful to think, but she was actually beginning to enjoy the company of some of the Royal Navy.


	5. Part 1: Everything is True, Even False Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not mine, Movies AU
> 
> I'm taking the movies and a version of the script I found on Kindle and combining that with dropping Charlie into the mix to create the AU.

The next day Charlie awoke to the darkness. It had not been her best night’s sleep, due to worry over waking up before the Commodore, but it was not the worst either. She would certainly take it over the cells she had been kept in.

Charlie had not had much chance to look around the room before falling asleep, but she figured while she was here, she might as well have a quick peek.

The room was incredibly sparse, with no more than a few pieces of spare clothing and some books on military strategy. It could have belonged to literally anyone in the Royal Navy, except for a small silver locket on the bedside table. The locket itself was very plain, but well-worn. On the front the name “Edith” was inscribed, and on the back the words “love always”. She smiled, glad that Groves had someone to come home to, assuming Edith was a lover and not his mother or sister.

She took a moment to stretch out, then took one last look around the room, and headed for the door.

As she was exiting Groves’ room, the Commodore’s door opened and the man himself emerged. This was going to be fun, there was no way he would be okay with her spending the night there. Schooling her features, she grinned confidently at the Commodore. “Good morning, Commodore!”

“Miss LaChance,” he sighed. “Please give back whatever it is you’ve stolen from Lieutenant Groves’ room.”

Well, that was not the reaction she had been expecting. “I beg your pardon?”

“You emerge from my second in command’s room in the middle of the night, knowing full well he is on the quarterdeck. What have you stolen? And from where else?” The haughtiness and surety in his voice cut deep.

It took a moment to shake off the surprise. And this time she could not blame drunk Charlie or hurried Charlie, the comment that came out was all her. “Well, Commodore, you’ve caught me red-handed. I snuck into his room to steal all of the riches navy men are known to keep! I was just about to jump off the ship and swim in the dark of night in a random direction and hope to find shore before I found sharks!”

“Miss LaChance,” he began, managing to sound both irritated and exhausted.

“Would you like me to strip naked so you can search me for these riches you believe I’ve stolen?” His jaw worked in surprise and she decided to push the advantage, taking a step closer to him, slowly. To his credit, he held her gaze without flinching, though he still seemed at a loss for words. “When you’ve worked out where I’ve supposedly stored these riches, let me know and I’ll be happy to give you a closer look.”

With that she turned and stalked off to the deck, muttering angrily to herself. She did not know why she was so upset by the accusation. It was fairly reasonable, given that she was a pirate. Hell, in his shoes, she might have thought the same thing. “Arrogant bastard,” she spat, as she walked up to the rail and leaned over. Maybe a good sea breeze and a nice sunrise would tame her mood.

Behind her, she heard Norrington ascend the steps to the quarterdeck, but did not bother to turn. Instead she tensed up and continued watching the sunrise paint lovely purples, pinks, and oranges in the sky hoping it would calm her.

It felt like minutes, but must have been hours that she was standing at the railing. The sun was now fully risen and it must have been well past breakfast, though she had not noticed anyone waking up or gathering for food. The deck was just suddenly full of activity.

Up on the quarterdeck, she saw Norrington and Groves poring over maps. It was likely he knew by now that she had only gone to sleep in the room at his second’s behest, but she doubted she would get an apology.

Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the ocean. If she were Jack Sparrow, what signs would she leave to follow? Had Jack not mentioned being marooned on an uncharted island used by the rum runners? If he had met up with Barbossa already, which was likely given the delays she had, it could stand to reason Barbossa would maroon him again.

Given how the navy had been scouring the Caribbean for any illicit dealings, it was possible the island had since been mapped in the process. Perhaps one of the maps Norrington was studying would have an island around here. It was not far out of the realm of possibility.

Turning back to walk up to the quarterdeck, she nearly walked face-first into the man himself.

“Miss LaChance,” he sighed.

“Commodore,” she greeted him.

He held out his hand and gave her an apple. When she arched an eyebrow at him, he explained, “You’ve not moved from that spot all morning. I’d hate to have to fish you from the ocean if you faint from hunger and fall in.”

Cocking her head, she accepted the apple and replied, “does this mean no stripping?”

“Miss LaChance, I hardly requested….” He stopped and shook his head as if to clear it. “I don’t believe the assumption that a pirate emerging from my second in command’s room was stealing is far-fetched!”

Skirting around him, she made her way to the quarterdeck. “I’m still not clear as to what it is you thought I’d stolen!” she argued, whirling around to face him after ascending the first two steps. They were eye to eye now. “What riches did you suspect Lieutenant Groves was hoarding in his quarters for a few days at sea?”

“I’m not a pirate, I can’t know what -.”

“No, you can’t! I wouldn’t steal from anyone who couldn’t afford to give! You know nothing about me, yet you’re ready to condemn me at the drop of a hat!”

Norrington took a step closer, his foot on the lowest step of the stairs and his hand on the railing. “And in what luxury do you suppose the baker you stole the bread from in Port Royal was living?”

“One roll of bread was hardly going to send the man into debt!” she shot back. “And I needed to eat!”

“Yet you seem disinclined to do so on this ship!”

“Commodore,” Groves’ voice came from somewhere above them.

“Perhaps proximity to the Royal Navy is enough to make me lose my appetite!”

“Or perhaps you’ve simply lost all sense!”

“Commodore!”

“If I had any sense in the first place, I would never have gone to Port Royal!” Charlie snarled.

“On that, we can agree,” he sneered.

Charlie opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by Groves again trying to get Norrington’s attention. “Commodore!”

“What?!” Charlie and Norrington bit out in unison.

“There’s a fire on the horizon. It looks like one of the rum runner islands.”

They both scrambled up the stairs at the same time to stare in the direction Groves was pointing in. It had to be Jack. That had to be where he was.

Beside her, Norrington began barking orders. “Set course and prepare a longboat.”

* * *

Half an hour later Norrington helped Elizabeth Swann onto the ship from the longboat, Jack clamouring onto the deck behind her. Charlie reached out and offered him a hand.

He wrinkled his nose and scoffed as he accepted it. “You’re late.”

“You’re welcome,” she shot back, rolling her eyes.

“Elizabeth, I’m relieved you’re safe,” Norrington’s stern voice came behind them.

“I may be, but Will is not! Those pirates have taken him!” 

When Charlie turned around, she saw Elizabeth in her father’s embrace. The Governor had spent the entire journey hidden in his cabin, only emerging to ask if there had been any news. The man must have been out of his mind with worry - she could only imagine what it must be like to have a father like that. “You’re safe now,” he said, letting go. “We will return to Port Royal, not go gallivanting after pirates!”

“Then we condemn him to death?”

Norrington’s gaze shifted to Charlie then back to Elizabeth. There was no way Norrington would condemn young William to death, would he? For what? Some misplaced sense of duty? Sure, she had picked a few fights with him and he had snapped at her, but he was an honourable man.

“The boy’s fate is regrettable, but then so is his choice to engage in piracy!” the Governor announced.

Charlie caught Norrington’s eye again, before he shifted to look down at the deck. He would clearly acquiesce to the Governor on this matter.

“To rescue me, to prevent anything from happening to me!” Elizabeth pled with her father.

“Commodore, if I may interject,” Jack began.

“Don’t make things worse, Jack,” Charlie muttered under her breath. It must have been a little louder than she had thought because she saw Norrington suppress a smirk.

He sneered at her and sidled around the guards, walking over to Norrington with his usual swagger. “The Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle. It’s very unlikely she’d be able to make good time.”

Charlie stepped forward - she could see Norrington was exasperated with Jack’s show. “If that’s true, we may be able to catch her.”

Jack swung around, indignant. “What do you mean ‘if’?”

Charlie cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms. “Focus, Jack.”

“Right.” Jack turned back to Norrington. “Think about it, mate! She’s the last real pirate threat in the Caribbean. How can you pass that up, eh?” He glanced over his shoulder and back to Norrington with a nervous smile.

Charlie lifted one of her arms and rubbed at her eyes. Jack was not going to get the Commodore by appealing to his sense of inflated ego. They would need to appeal to his sense of honour.

“By remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow,” he retorted. Calling him ‘Mr. Sparrow’ instead of ‘Captain Sparrow’ was a conscious choice, Charlie knew from her own verbal bouts with the Commodore. “Not just myself.” He turned and stalked back up the stairs toward the quarterdeck.

Halfway up, Elizabeth chased him to the stairs and shouted, “Commodore, I beg you, please do this!” Her posture straightened and her next words were hesitant, but confident. “For me. As a wedding present.”

Norrington stopped halfway up the stairs and turned. “Am I to understand that you’re accepting my marriage proposal on the condition I rescue Mr. Turner?”

“Not as a condition,” she corrected demurely. “Simply a request.”

Charlie bit back a snide remark. It was definitely a condition. Norrington would not accept a conditional marriage, would he?

Jack threw his arms in the air and twirled around to look at the rest of the sailors around. “A wedding! I love weddings!” To his credit, he muted himself when Norrington glared at him and he put his wrists out and together. “I know. Clap him in irons, right?”

Charlie reached out and pulled him back, silencing him before he said something that would land them both on the gallows the second they docked at Port Royal. She looked up at Norrington with what she hoped was an apologetic look and he offered a tight grin before he turned to Groves.

“Prepare to come about. Mr. Sparrow will give you our heading.” He descended the deck and came to a stop next to Elizabeth. Sliding his arm gently around her, he guided her towards his cabin. How could the Commodore not care that Miss Swann was using him to save William? He obviously knew that was the reason she accepted.

Charlie shook her head and walked up to the quarterdeck. Someone would have to keep Jack in check, and she was not about to intrude on an intimate moment. Even if that intimate moment was one-sided.


	6. Part 1: Two Opposing Arrows Converging Into A Common Point

Notes:

Still not mine, Movies AU

I'm taking the movies and a version of the script I found on Kindle and combining that with dropping Charlie into the mix to create the AU.

* * *

A few hours later, Charlie sat at the edge of one of the hatches, eating a piece of freshly baked bread. If the cook had caught her stealing the food intended for Norrington, Governor Swann, and Miss Swann, he would have slapped it out of her hands and tried to have her shackled. As it stood, what he did not know would not hurt him. Nor would it hurt the Commodore.

"Is that bread from my dining cabin?" Norrington's voice came behind her.

She turned and smiled a little. "What's it to be - keelhauling or flogging?"

"Considering how hard Lieutenant Groves and I have fought to get you to eat on this voyage, I think either would be counterproductive," he shot back.

"Is that a joke, Commodore?" she asked. "I didn't realise you were capable!"

Out the corner of her eye she caught Jack descending the stairs from the quarterdeck and actively looking everywhere but her. What was he up to and why did she have the sudden urge to slap him?

"I'm capable of a great many things, Miss LaChance," he replied curtly. "A word in my dining cabin? You know where it is."

"Another joke! This marriage has put you in a good mood, Commodore." She pasted on a smile at that and followed him, curiosity getting the better of her.

"There is no marriage," he replied as though he were reporting on the weather.

Her brow furrowed behind his back. "Bride-to-be change her mind, then, eh?"

"No, I did," he said as they reached the cabin and he held the door for her.

That was unexpected. This whole voyage had been launched to find her. She had even heard Norrington and the Governor discussing it through his open cabin door one evening.

"I've stunned you into silence. A first," he observed as he shut the door behind them.

"Are you not in love with her?" she blurted out.

He started and looked at her strangely.

"That was too forward, apologies," she said, shaking her head. Sometimes she had trouble stopping herself, even when she knew better. Rather than deal with the awkwardness she had caused, she walked to the window and looked out. Trailing along behind the Dauntless was a small dinghy attached by a rope to the stern of the ship. She assumed it was for the more esteemed guests who may be travelling aboard the ship to escape in the event of an emergency.

The sound of a cork being popped and liquid being poured hit her ears, but she did not turn around. What was she even doing here? In Norrington's dining cabin? A Commodore in the Royal Navy, determined to eradicate pirates and piracy, and she was standing in his dining cabin as though the threat of her execution did not loom overhead.

A glass appeared in her peripheral and she turned her head to look at Norrington curiously.

"Wine," he explained.

Accepting the glass, she smiled her thanks and threw a fast toast before taking a sip. Was it wise to accept a drink from a man looking to possibly hang her? Likely not. But that did not stop her from taking the glass. By now she had given up on any notion of being wise.

"I need you to stay on the Dauntless with Miss Swann."

Charlie nearly spat out her wine. "I'm sorry?"

Norrington seemed to struggle with his words for a moment before settling on, "Despite my misgivings, you are probably the best person to keep an eye on -."

"Your misgivings?" she echoed skeptically as she slowly put her wine glass down. That's why Jack was avoiding her on the deck! "Oh, that rat! I'm going to go and -."

She scrambled to get past Norrington, but he managed to corner her and keep her from leaving. "Miss LaChance!"

"What?" she growled as his hands gripped her upper arms.

"You can either stay aboard in my cabin and protect Miss Swann or you can stay aboard in a cell below decks." When she stopped struggling and glared at him, he continued more softly, "which is it to be?"

"If either of you fools wind up dead, I'm going to kill you both," she snapped. Wait, where the hell had that come from? Did she actually care if Commodore Norrington of the Royal Navy, a man who just days ago was set to have her hanged, was killed? Damn. By the look on his face, Norrington was just as shocked as she was. Rather than embarrass herself further, she extricated herself from his grip and walked back to her glass. "This is good wine."

"Portugese," he said, stepping up next to her.

They stood side by side, staring out the window in silence until she broke it by asking softly, "this plan of Jack's - do you think it'll work?"

"I think I would be overstating it if I said I were cautiously optimistic," he replied with a wry grin.

A laugh spat out from her before she could stop it. "That sounds like Jack. His plans are always...a little odd, but they usually work."

"Usually?"

She shrugged in response. "Did you see Barbossa's crew back at Port Royal? In the moonlight?"

Norrington went stiff beside her before hesitantly answering, "Yes. But Sparrow has yet to bring it up. I'm cautious this may be a trap."

Charlie nodded. She would wager that was why he was less than optimistic. "He won't lead you into a trap. He may rig the game for an easy escape, though."

"Another good reason to keep you here."

"You're assuming I wouldn't be able to escape," she chuckled.

He looked down at her, one eyebrow raised in question. It struck her that it was the first time he had looked down at her without looking down on her, and she found herself wanting to tell him the truth.

"If it comes down to that or the gallows, I make no promises, Commodore," she confessed.

Turning back to look out the window, he muttered, "I would expect no less."

Under the circumstances, Charlie would have assumed this would be an uneasy truce, but it did not feel uneasy. It felt...almost comfortable. Damn. "I would hazard a guess Jack didn't mention it because he was afraid you wouldn't help." She took another sip of her wine. "When we left Port Royal I wouldn't have been so sure either."

"I wouldn't have been so sure this morning," he countered. Taking another sip of his wine, he shook his head and smiled fondly. "I dare say you and Elizabeth would enjoy each other's company."

"Why's that?"

"Suffice to say you have a few things in common," he muttered.

She arched an eyebrow at him in question, but he put down his wine glass and turned away. Clearly the conversation was over.

* * *

The deck of the Dauntless was chaos, between the men scrambling to get to their longboats and Elizabeth screaming while a man named Gillette forcibly took her to Norrington's dining cabin. A soldier made his way to Charlie, presumably to collect her, but she waved him off of grabbing her. She nodded to Norrington and hoped he understood it as her wishing him luck, then followed the soldiers to the cabin.

"This is Jack Sparrow's doing!" she shouted.

Charlie suppressed a laugh. Jack would definitely have heard it and enjoyed it. "Mr Gillette, is it?" she asked, sidestepping the soldiers to stand between them and Elizabeth. Gillette nodded. "I'll take care of Miss Swann, you gentlemen have very important work to do keeping us ladies safe and I'd hate for it to be impeded in any way." Elizabeth tried to shove past her and she held her back. "Thank you, Mr Gillette. We'll feel much safer with you in charge and such strapping young men guarding us!" And with that she shoved Elizabeth backward into the cabin and swung the doors shut with what she hoped was a grateful smile.

As soon as the doors clicked shut, she whirled back to face Elizabeth. "If I move away from the doors, what are you going to do?" The only answer she got was straightened posture, a raised chin, and raised eyebrow. "And how is it that is going to help us escape? Do you expect they'll just open the doors and let us go if you scream loudly enough?"

"Us?"

Charlie grinned. "I'm not happy sitting around here either."

"And you have a plan?" she asked cautiously.

"I do." She walked past Elizabeth and unlatched the window, then turned around suddenly. "I realise we've not been formally introduced - Charlie LaChance."

"Elizabeth Swann."

Without looking behind her, she pushed open the window and stepped aside. "Have a look out the window, Elizabeth." While the other woman cautiously approached the window to look out, Charlie walked back into the cabin and began rummaging through drawers. There had to be something they could use for rope.

"A boat? How do we get down to it without being seen?"

"That's the tricky part. We'll need something to make a rope first, though." Charlie threw open a cabinet and tossed aside the trinkets she found.

"What about this?" Elizabeth asked.

When Charlie turned around, Elizabeth had moved from the window and was holding up napkins and cloths for the table setting. "Perfect!" She crossed the cabin and took some of the pieces of cloth, then began tying them together.

"I heard your engagement is cancelled," she said, trying to sound casual. Perhaps it was none of her business, but she could not help her curiosity. Norrington was a mystery to her, one that could frustrate her one moment and offer her food the next. While they had time, she figured she could find out more about the Commodore.

"Yes, it seems the Commodore refused to be engaged conditionally," she grunted as she pulled one of the knots tight. "Sometimes I wonder if perhaps he's a little too honourable for his own good."

Charlie snorted a laugh. "It's easy enough to use his sense of honour against him," she conceded. "He accused me of stealing just this morning. Lieutenant Groves offered me his bed whilst he was on duty and when the Commodore saw me coming out of his room, he assumed the only reason I'd be in there would be theft. I told him I would strip so he could search me."

Elizabeth gasped. "You did not!" When Charlie nodded, she continued thoughtfully, "that does explain his remark earlier, though."

"What remark?" They were running out of cloth so she crossed the room to grab more from the cabinet.

"After he rejected our engagement, I asked for men's clothing. He told me it wouldn't be proper. I told him it was men's clothing or heaving bosoms and bare on the deck. He smiled and muttered something about it being the second time today." She crossed the room and tied one end of the rope to a table that had been fastened to the ground, then tested it. Due to the thickness of the cloth it came undone rather quickly and she sighed in exasperation.

"He smiled?" she asked, handing her a different piece of cloth to tie off the end. Apparently threatening nudity was only distasteful to Norrington when she did it.

Elizabeth's only response was a smirk before resuming her task.

Not dealing with that now.

A glance around the room showed her nothing they could reliably tie the makeshift rope to would hold. It was too thin or too far away from the window. Not to mention the guards outside were only one thin sheet of glass away. The chances of both of them making it off the ship were slim. And of the two of them, she was definitely the more qualified to stay and help defend the ship should the plan go wrong.

"It seems to me," she continued, shaking her head to clear it, "both of us leaving might not be practical."

"You want me to stay behind?" Elizabeth exclaimed angrily, looking up.

"No, no. I'm going to stay," she corrected. "I can be visible here so they don't go looking for your escape. If you need help -."

"The other pirates are on The Black Pearl. I can free them, then go save Will." Elizabeth's voice rose a note higher with every word. Her excitement was palpable.

"Excellent idea," Charlie agreed, grinning. "When we're done, I'll hold the rope and you climb down to the boat."

It was not long before the rope was finished and they were testing it for the climb. When they were satisfied it would hold Elizabeth's weight, they weighted one end and tossed it out the open window to the boat.

"I'm glad you threw that," Charlie admitted. "I have terrible aim."

A knock sounded on the door. "Elizabeth?" came the Governor's voice.

Elizabeth froze, halfway out the window.

"I want you to know I believe you made a very good decision today."

She looked back at Charlie.

Your coat, Charlie mouthed at her, indicating her own coat. "Switch", she hissed, shrugging free from hers.

"Couldn't be more proud of you."

Over her shoulder, Charlie saw the Governor sit down on the other side of the glass.

"Charlie!" Elizabeth whispered, handing over her coat.

Accepting the coat, she shooed the other woman out the window. "Go!"

Behind them the Governor continued, "But even a good decision, if made for the wrong reasons, can be a wrong decision."

The rope went taut as Elizabeth slid down the side of the ship to the boat, and Charlie wound the rope behind her. She held on carefully with both hands, bracing the makeshift rope against her back as the other woman climbed down. A soft thud outside the window and the cloth going slack signalled Elizabeth reached the boat.

Charlie went to the window to confirm and waved her off, then turned back to look at the door. She put on the uniform coat and sat at the table, her back to the door and a book in her hands. Her darker brown hair was tied up under her hat, keeping it from being seen and giving away their ruse.

"Elizabeth?" the Governor called out. "Are you there?"

The sound of the door opening hit her ears.

"Elizabeth? What are you - why is the window open?" He walked past her without looking at her and looked out the window. "What is -?" The Governor whirled around to face her and she offered up a smile.

"Governor Swann," she greeted.

"Where is my daughter?" he gasped.

"I suspect nearing The Black Pearl."

"What? What did you do?" Governor Swann moved to the door, no doubt to get the guard, have Charlie arrested, and go after his daughter.

Behind him, through the glass, Charlie caught a glint of metal in the distance. She stood up abruptly and grabbed her sword - Norrington had left it for her to protect Elizabeth.

"What are you doing?" The tone of his voice was a mix between fearful and incredulous as he opened the door.

Charlie ran forward and pushed him back behind her. "Stay here!" she ordered as she slammed the door shut. "And barricade the door!"

The guard on the other side of the door had left his post and was busy fighting with one of Barbossa's skeletal crew. In fact the entire deck was awash with the undead, clashing with the Royal Navy. The sounds of gunfire and clashing metal washed over the deck. Charlie tightened her grip on her sword and charged into the fray.

All around her men on both sides fell to the decks. Unlike the soldiers, the pirates would rise again moments later. Stabbing them would do no good. A sword swung into her peripheral and she raised her own to block it, then grabbed the skeleton, turned, and swung him over her head into the deck, shattering bone in every direction. More skeletons climbed over the railings onto the decks.

Up on the quarterdeck, the alarm bell sounded - Gillette was bringing the rest of the Navy back. If Jack did not succeed in the cave, it would be a mass slaughter aboard The Dauntless.

Canonfire erupted from below decks, presumably trying to sink the longboats coming to their aide. Charlie started toward the stairs, but she paused and sucked in a breath as she saw pirates headed to the Governor. There was no choice - soldiers were trained to take care of themselves, the Governor was not. She ran toward the cabin, ducking and swinging her sword and kicking out as she went. One of the pirates had managed to break a window and was reaching through it to get at the whimpering Governor. She kicked out at the arm, snapping off the lower half, and shoved the pirate back. Even with only one arm, he fought back. She managed to corner him and was about to land a blow when another sword sliced through her upper arm.

With a grunt, she dropped to the ground just as a blade cut through the air above her and instead beheaded the pirate she was fighting. She caught the falling head and threw it up at the pirate behind her, hitting him in the jaw, then rolled out of the way.

She pushed up off the ground, back to the cabin door, and pushed her way back into the fray. One of the pirates shouted something angrily and she noticed The Black Pearl sailing away in the distance. Evidently Elizabeth was not able to persuade them to help once she had freed them. Jack was not going to be happy.

A hand appeared on the railing next to her as she moved around the deck. Instead of being followed by a skeletal arm and rags, a fully uniformed soldier charged over the railing. More soldiers poured onto the decks and joined the battle. She redirected her focus from them to the undead. If she thought about Norrington or Groves instead of the fight, she could wind up with a sword in her gut or missing an important body part like her head. Despite the many bad decisions it was making of late, she really did prefer to keep it.

As if summoned by her brief thought, the Lieutenant appeared in the brawl beside her, offering a quick smile before blocking a sword and jumping into the thick of it. One of the cursed crew came up behind him and Charlie stabbed him in the back to draw his attention. He turned to grin, or at least she thought it was supposed to be a grin - it was hard to tell with no skin - and Groves knocked his head off. They nodded at each other and turned back to back to fight.

Ahead of her Norrington came into view, fighting a skeleton with long dark hair. Bits of the man's skull were missing, as though he had either been hit hard or shot. The Commodore was, Charlie noticed as she dodged a jab from the skeleton in front of her, entirely focussed on the immediate problem rather than the entire skirmish. The determination on his face, the passion, was more emotion than he had shown the entire trip thus far. And it could get him killed. More irritatingly, as she was trying to watch his back also, it could get Charlie killed.

She parried and twirled her attacker right into Groves' blade, then looked back at Norrington. Behind him another skeleton was creeping up.

"Groves!" she called out in warning as she charged ahead.

She reached the Commodore just in time, jamming her sword into the non-existent guts of the pirate about to ambush him. When the pirate turned to look at her she heaved the sword over her head with both hands and flung him overboard and into the depths. Norrington offered her a brief look of surprise, but kept fighting side by side with her.

Only a few moments later Norrington's blade stabbed one of them in the stomach and hit flesh. All around them the pirates began to realise they were suddenly vulnerable. The sounds of clashing metal died down as the pirates looked between them and seemed to come to a decision. They tossed down their weapons one by one and surrendered to the Royal Navy.

The Commodore raised his sword to the neck of one of the now mortal men. "Gentlemen, the ship is ours."

All around the ship men cheered enthusiastically as they rounded up the prisoners and collected weapons. Charlie let out a breath she had not realised she had been holding.

"Mr. Gillette," Norrington called as he sheathed his sword. "Get these men locked below decks."

"And her, sir?" he asked, pointing toward Charlie.

She felt someone step up behind her and half-turned her head, expecting to be put in chains. Groves stood straight and unmoving, though.

"She fought alongside us, saved lives," Groves countered. "Where's your sense of decency, man?"

"Mine? She's a pirate! Where's hers?"

Charlie opened her mouth to retort, but was silenced by a glare from the Commodore. Don't make things worse, the glare said. Instead she grinned at him and made a show of closing her mouth, sucking in her lips and biting down to keep them closed.

"I think we can afford Miss LaChance the dignity of being kept in a cabin under guard," Norrington said as he turned back to Gillette. "Lieutenant Groves, please secure Miss LaChance in my dining cabin. Mr. Gillette, find a spare hammock."

Charlie bit back another smart comment as Groves guided her to the cabin. As soon as the door was closed she turned to look at the Lieutenant and remarked, "I make friends wherever I go."

"I'm sure Gillette will come around, Miss LaChance," Groves tried to assure her.

"Either that or he'll be the first to volunteer to pull the handle at the gallows," she shot back with a smirk. She took a deep breath at the reminder of her impending appointment.

"You helped save Miss Swann, the Governor will surely take that into account."

"I'm not sure one good deed can redeem me from this brand," she said, rolling up her sleeve. The Governor had been very clear in calling it a temporary release, so she was under no illusions there. But as she had said to Norrington, she had no intention of going quietly to her fate. "But we have 3 days to think about other things. And right now I'm hungry."

Groves laughed hollowly, clearly still thinking about the noose. "Now you're ready to eat? After battling the undead? I'm not sure most of our appetites will ever return."

"She's a pirate, Groves," Gillette's voice came from the doorway. "It's not as though she has a soul."

Accepting the hammock from Gillette, Groves said, "I don't believe that. Why would she have helped us if that were the case?"

Charlie leaned forward to tightly grip the chair in front of her, ignoring the pair as they argued. Part of her longed to remind them that she was, in fact, still present in the room, but she was too focussed on relaxing herself after the battle. Though she was too proud to show it, she needed a minute to compose herself.

"I'll return shortly with some food, Miss LaChance," Groves called out.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Almost the moment the door clicked shut, she tightened her grip on the seat and bowed her head, trying to steady her breathing. It was the first chance she had had to collect herself since Port Royal, really. Her upper arm stung, a reminder that she was not invulnerable. Perhaps she should have sent Groves to get bandages as well.

She turned her head slightly to examine the wound and saw a plate of bread and cheese hovering next to her. Following the hand then the arm that held it, she found Commodore Norrington staring down at her.

"Thank you, Commodore," she muttered, righting herself and accepting the plate.

"You're welcome, Miss LaChance." His other hand came up and offered her bandages as well.

Charlie accepted them with a grin. "Are you ever going to call me 'Charlie'?"

"Not likely, Miss LaChance."

"Why?"

His mouth opened and closed a few times before finally settling on, "it wouldn't be proper."

"What about 'Charlotte'?" she offered.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Charlotte. It's my full name, " she explained, rolling up her sleeve to dress her wound.

Norrington smiled. It struck Charlie as the first time she had seen a genuine smile on his face. "Charlotte, then."

If she had been asked a week earlier, she would have said hearing someone call her 'Charlotte' again would evoke bad memories she would rather avoid. Instead she found it comforting, coming from Norrington. Looking back down at her arm to avoid flushing at the thought, she struggled to wrap the bandage around her arm.

"Allow me," Norrington offered, gently taking the dressing from her. He grabbed a wet cloth from a bowl on the table that she had not noticed before and began cleaning up the blood. "You'll be pleased to know Sparrow, Elizabeth, and Mr. Turner have made it back in one piece."

"Where are they?"

"Turner and Sparrow are below decks, locked up." Before she could protest, he continued, "there's nothing I can do for that. And Elizabeth is with her father." He put the cloth back in the bowl and picked up the dressing to wrap her now clean wound.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked quietly.

He glanced quickly up from her arm, then back down. "Why did you save my life?"

"Who would I argue with if you died?"

Norrington startled, the expression slowly sliding into a grin. "Indeed." He rolled down her sleeve. "Finished."

"Thank you, Commodore."

"You're welcome, Miss -," he cut himself off at her glare. "Charlotte." With that he straightened and walked toward the door. Just before he reached it he turned back and said, "No."

Charlie shook her head, unsure of what she had just heard. "No?"

"You once asked me," he began, "whether I was in love with Elizabeth. I do care for her, but…."

"Why are you telling me this?"

The Commodore started to answer, stopped, then admitted, "I don't know." With that he turned and left Charlie to her thoughts.


	7. Part 1: Be Ye Not Lost Among Precepts Of Order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not mine, Movies AU
> 
> I'm taking the movies and a version of the script I found on Kindle and combining that with dropping Charlie into the mix to create the AU.
> 
> Short chapter this time around.

The next day Charlie was browsing the bookshelves Norrington kept in his dining cabin. Every book was philosophy or science or tactics until she came to a copy of _Les Aventures de Télémaque_ , a book about the son of Ulysses and his travels with the disguised Minerva, goddess of wisdom. It appeared to be worn and clearly well-loved. She wondered how long he had had the book, smiling to herself at the idea of Commodore Norrington enjoying a literary adventure.

Behind her she heard the door swing open and turned to see Elizabeth Swann entering.

“I imagine they’re all philosophy, if they belong to James,” she said, closing the door.

“James?”

Elizabeth blushed and clarified, “I mean Commodore Norrington.”

Charlie grinned. “I’ll have to remember that. And shockingly, no. He also has a copy of The Adventures of Telemachus.”

“Forgive me,” Elizabeth started, shrugging her hands into the sleeves of the newly reclaimed naval jacket, “I don’t mean to sound rude, I -.”

“You’re surprised I can read,” Charlie guessed.

“Considering the other pirates I’ve met, it doesn’t seem like a common ability.”

Moving to take a seat at the table, Charlie laughed, “I wasn’t always a pirate. I grew up in a very well-to-do family. And don’t let Jack’s...Jack-like ways fool you. He can read. Though I’m fairly certain the others would struggle to read anything more complex than a map.”

Elizabeth smiled and sat down with her. “How did you wind up a pirate?”

In the blink of an eye she decided to go with part of the truth. “Ran away from an arranged marriage. It was luck that I ran into Jack instead of someone worse.” Her past was not something she enjoyed talking about much. 

The pieces visibly locked into place in Elizabeth’s head. “Your surname isn’t LaChance.”

“No,” she admitted. “How is Mr. Turner faring below decks? Or have you been permitted to visit?”

She sighed heavily. “I haven’t. I’ve sent messages through Commodore Norrington or Lieutenant Groves, but my father won’t allow me to visit.”

“Does he know you’re in here?” Charlie ventured.

“No,” Elizabeth admitted with a smirk. “Lieutenant Groves is guarding the door, though.”

“Ah. I’m sure he’ll alert us should you need to run. He’s a good man.”

Elizabeth sighed and began toying with one of the pieces of cloth on the table. “I just needed the company of someone who wouldn’t look at me as though I were the last meal of a dying man,” she confessed.

That made Charlie laugh. “I imagine that at sea there’s not much difference between your average sailor and your average pirate.”

“At least I had some privacy on the Black Pearl,” Elizabeth huffed.

“You were locked up in a cabin on the Pearl, though, weren’t you?” Charlie laughed as she stood up and walked over to the window. Behind the ship she could see the small longboat trailing in the wake and in the distance there was a pod of dolphins frolicking in the water. Few clouds were in the sky, making for a mostly bright sunny day. This was why she loved the sea!

“I also wanted to say thank you for helping me at Isla de Muerta,” Elizabeth said. “I heard you saved Commodore Norrington’s life, so you were right to stay aboard.”

Charlie turned back around with a slight smile. “It would’ve been a great loss to the Royal Navy. I never would’ve thought I would say this about someone in the navy, but he’s a good man.”

“Not even in your old life?” she prompted.

“I’m afraid none of the men I knew in that life were anything like Commodore Norrington,” she confessed. “The man I was going to be engaged to was…. You got lucky, Elizabeth.” After a deep breath, she changed the subject. “Does your father know now?” There was no way she was ready to talk about that, even if it was nearly half her lifetime ago.

Elizabeth worked her jaw for a moment, then seemingly decided to drop whatever she had been thinking. “Yes. He’s...I suspect he’s trying to figure out how he feels about me being in love with a pirate.”

Charlie nodded. “He’ll come around. Your father loves you. And I believe he does understand why young Will did what he did.”

The door swung open and Groves poked his head in. “Miss Swann, your -.”

The Governor’s voice sounded on the deck, shouting for Commodore Norrington, and he pushed into the room. “You!” he accused Groves. “How could you let her in here with that...pirate?”

“I saved your life!” Charlie exclaimed.

Simultaneously Elizabeth interjected, “He didn’t let me anything, I made the choice myself!”

That was the moment Commodore Norrington chose to enter. “What on Earth is going on here?”

“Your Lieutenant allowed my daughter to -.”

“He didn’t allow me anything, I -.”

Elizabeth and her father argued, speaking over top of one another. Norrington’s eyes darted between them as he took in the situation. “Governor Swann, if you need a moment alone with your daughter I would be happy to take Miss LaChance out on the deck.” He turned to look at Groves, “Lieutenant Groves, you are relieved of guard duty for the rest of our journey. Please assist Mr Gillette on the quarterdeck.”

“Sir,” Groves acknowledged, with a bow of his head. He tossed a wink at Charlie as he left.

Norrington offered Charlie his arm and took her out onto the deck, leaving Elizabeth and her father to talk.


	8. Part 1: Either Way It Is Irrelevant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not mine, Movies AU
> 
> I'm taking the movies and a version of the script I found on Kindle and combining that with dropping Charlie into the mix to create the AU.
> 
> On to Dead Man's Chest after this....

By the time Charlie saw Port Royal through the windows in the stern cabin, they were already preparing to dock. The sun was shining bright over the water and the seas were calm. Was that a good sign of things to come or irony? She could not decide. With any luck she and Jack would be able to spend time in jail and plot their escape, instead of going directly to the gallows.

There was no question in her mind the sounds of the door and clanking shackles were Norrington, so she did not bother to turn. She preferred to enjoy the view over the ocean as long as she could, anyway. He came to a stop behind her with a sigh.

“Now?” she asked quietly.

“We still have a bit of time.” A moment later he added, “I need you to trust me, Charlotte.”

Could she trust the man whose duty was seeing to her execution? Thus far he had proven trustworthy, but that was during her temporary release. Now they were back at Port Royal, with the gallows in sight. Finally she turned around to face him, furrowing her brow.

“Please.”

She tilted her head and searched his eyes for any signs of dishonesty. If she were honest with herself, she was probably looking for a reason not to trust him rather than a reason to trust him. All she saw was honesty. Damn. Nodding slowly, she lifted her hands for the shackles. “I trust you.”

His eyes left hers so he could secure the shackles and she finally remembered to breathe. “Be ready,” he muttered, testing her bonds before gesturing to the door.

Out on the deck she was grouped with Jack and the other pirates to be led off the ship and to the fort. Will was at the back of the group, in chains, while Elizabeth was being blocked from him by members of the Royal Navy. She looked away and caught Norrington grimacing at the spectacle, before he moved to the front of the column to escort them to the fort.

As they walked, Jack commented nonsensically beside her on the weather, the buildings, the people, whatever he happened to look at. Many of the soldiers escorting them, including Norrington, tensed up as Jack droned on, and she could feel their irritation.

“Jack,” she hissed, elbowing him.

“What?”

“Could you try not to irritate them into killing us sooner?” At the head of the column she thought she heard a laugh, but she looked forward and only saw Norrington coughing.

Upon reaching the fort they were ushered into separate areas of the jail- Jack, Will, and Charlie in a cell of their own and isolated from the formerly cursed crew.

Norrington himself closed their door and gave Charlie a look before leaving. Though she was fairly certain it was not his intention to signal her with the look, she tried the cell door. It was not a surprise that it did not move.

“So,” Jack’s cheerful voice came from behind her, “what do you think comes first - our execution or young William’s trial?”

Charlie exchanged a look with Will. Whatever his plan was, hopefully Norrington would hurry.

* * *

The next time she saw Norrington, he was accompanying a group of soldiers to take Will to his trial. Jack had been trying to break the lock with a stone he had found, but when the door opened, he discarded it and tried to lay casually on the ground at the back of the cell. Charlie rolled her eyes at his antics and walked to the front of the cell.

“Mr Turner,” Norrington called, unlocking the cell.

Will nodded at the Commodore, then cast a quick look back at Jack and Charlie, as he walked out and towards the stairs, head held high. The soldiers escorted him up the stairs, leaving only Norrington alone with Charlie and Jack.

“Turner will be pardoned,” he muttered, closing the cell door as Charlie approached it.

“And us?” she whispered.

He hesitated as he cast his gaze behind her, presumably to Jack. When he brought his eyes back to hers, he grimaced. “I can’t help you escape, Charlotte,” he murmured, taking her hand in both of his and slipping her something that felt suspiciously like a key.

She nodded, their hands sliding apart as he turned to walk away. The door slammed closed at the top of the stairs.

“Well, that was unhelpful,” Jack complained.

“Was it?” Charlie asked lightly, reaching through the bars with the key to unlock the cell. Turning back to Jack, she grinned and kicked the door open behind her.

Jack leaned back and regarded her skeptically. “How’d you do that?”

“Can we escape first?”

He worked his jaw for a moment, then pushed past her to grab his effects, once again hung on the wall. Next to his effects, Charlie’s sword and pistol waited.

Now appropriately armed for a prison break, she followed Jack up the stairs. He peaked dramatically down both directions in the hall, then waved her forward.

“Jack!” she hissed as he started down the hall in the direction of the courtyard. “The trial!”

Either he did not hear her or he did not care. Freedom or follow Jack? She growled then took off after him, quietly calling after him. If pressed, she would place money on him knowing exactly where he was going. The man was nothing, if not a lover of spectacle.

“Jack!” she hissed again as she neared him. She reached out to grab at his shirt and pulled him back, causing him to tumble into her and both of them to fall to the ground. Only then did she realise they were in the archway entrance to the courtyard and an entire garrison of soldiers armed to the teeth had turned to see what the commotion was. Norrington looked upward and seemed to mutter something under his breath.

Jack sprang to his feet and helped Charlie up. “Gentlemen!” he exclaimed with glee.

_I’m going to kill him._

Before she could comment, Jack grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd of people gathered for the trial. “I can run from the danger you put us in on my own, thank you very much!” she shouted as she ripped her hand from his.

“It is not my fault they held the trial in the middle of our escape route,” he grumbled.

“Our escape route? Jack!” she exclaimed, dodging past a young woman. She seemed to be having trouble breathing, making Charlie glad she no longer wore corsets. “My sympathies, Miss,” she offered over her shoulder. Where the hell was Jack going, anyway?

They reached the other side of the courtyard. A commotion behind them caused Charlie to risk a glance. Elizabeth appeared to have fainted next to her father, and a few soldiers under one of the colonnades. Young William was nowhere to be seen. When she turned back she saw William helping Jack fight the soldiers. Not the smartest plan if he had just been pardoned for piracy.

Charlie growled and pushed into the middle of the fray, parrying blows with her sword. The Royal Navy fought them back under the colonnade and out onto the rampart overlooking the ocean. She tried not to look back over the ocean as they were backed up to the ledge. If this was Jack’s plan, she was going to kill him.

Suddenly Norrington and Elizabeth burst through to the front of the crowd, followed by Governor Swann. Elizabeth pushed into the fray to take Will’s hand and Norrington called for a cease to the fighting, over Governor Swann’s cries not to harm his daughter.

“Sir, we can’t -,” Gillette began.

“Not now, Mr. Gillette,” Norrington ordered.

Governor Swann pushed to the front of the crowd. “Elizabeth! What are you doing?”

“You know this is wrong.”

“Lower your weapons,” Norrington ordered. Everyone had lowered theirs with the exception of Gillette, who was wavering. “Mr. Gillette, lower your weapon.”

Governor Swann finally released the breath he had been holding, then looked to William. “And you,” he continued. “I only just proclaimed a pardon for you. And this is how you thank me? Throwing in your lot with pirates?”

“They’re good people,” William replied.

Jack grinned at Charlie, then turned to the amassed soldiers to gloat. Norrington looked at her, eyebrow arched in question, and she rolled her eyes in reply. She had given up on trying to get Jack to not be an ass.

“You can’t be serious!” the Governor exclaimed.

Elizabeth slid her other hand into the crook of William’s arm and stepped closer to him. “We are.”

Of course Jack chose that moment to interrupt. “Well!” he exclaimed, pushing around Elizabeth and William to address the Governor directly. “I’m actually feeling rather good about this.”

It was then Charlie noticed the parrot flying overhead. “Jack, no.”

He grinned at her, then turned back to the Governor. “I think we’ve all arrived at a very special place, eh?” The Governor flinched as Jack breathed into his face. “Spiritually, ecumenically...grammatically….” The Governor flinched at his breath. He then walked over to Norrington. “Personally, I don’t know what she sees in you, mate. Little too...uptight.”

Whatever Norrington’s reaction was, Charlie did not see it. She risked a glance behind her at the ocean and took a deep breath. That...was high. Was it technically murder if Jack would have been sentenced to hang anyway?

When she turned back around she saw that Jack had come to stand next to her and Norrington was looking at her strangely. Her eyes grew wider as the panic began to settle in.

“Gentlemen!” Jack exclaimed grandly, stepping up to the ledge and bringing Charlie with him.

“Jack, don’t,” she begged, trying to wrench out of his grasp. She would rather face the gallows, as illogical as that sounded.

“Charlotte,” she thought she heard Norrington say.

“This is the day that you will always remember as the day -.” Before he could finish, Jack feigned a trip and knocked them both off the ledge.

Charlie screamed as the ocean neared.

She had just enough clarity to remember to point her toes before hitting the water and being completely submerged. When she surfaced she took a few deep, panicked breaths and looked back up at the fort. Norrington was staring down, so she threw him a half-hearted salute, then swam towards Jack.

“You ass!” she shouted as she punched him in the shoulder. “You know I hate heights!”

“I do,” he replied, trying to hide a grin. “That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“If you ever do that to me again, I’ll -.”

“You’ll what?” he asked as he started to swim off. Cotton’s parrot had appeared in the sky again and was flying off in the direction Jack was swimming, where The Black Pearl was sliding into the port.

“Now I know why they’re called ‘Jackasses’,” she muttered as she followed.

Jack called back over his shoulder, “I heard that!”

“Good!”

When they neared the Pearl, Gibbs lowered a rope for them and hauled them up onto the deck. Charlie immediately marched off toward the first mate’s cabin to cool down. If Gibbs and the crew had come to Port Royal, they certainly were not planning a mutiny. And she was still reeling from the fall.

“You staying?” Jack called.

Without looking back she called over her shoulder, “Of course I am! Likely to get your stupid self killed without me! How am I going to explain that to your dad?”

“Could always try telling him -.”

“Shut up, Jack!” she huffed. Charlie took a brief glance over her shoulder at Port Royal shrinking away in the distance before slamming the door shut behind her.


	9. Part 2: We Come Close To The Primal Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still not mine, Movies AU
> 
> I'm taking the movies and a version of the script I found on Kindle and combining that with dropping Charlie into the mix to create the AU.
> 
> Just an itty bitty chapter this time :)

While not as exciting as Tortuga, Charlie loved visiting the pirate islands in the Bahamas. The water was cleaner and on a good sunny morning, you could see dolphin pods swimming just off shore. That would be her plan come the dawn, watch the dolphins playing in the surf. But right now she had a clandestine meeting that Jack would kill her for, if he found out. Good thing he was buried in...well, she would rather not think about it. At least him visiting the brothel meant she would not have to worry about being caught.

She kept her face hidden as she approached the inn and walked straight to the room she knew he had taken for the night. Before she could even raise her fist to the door, Commodore Norrington opened it and stood back to let her in. He was dressed in dark, nondescript clothing instead of his uniform. Two mugs of ale and a deck of cards waited at the sole table in the room. 

It was to be their usual game, then. If Charlie won, she bought Jack and the Pearl time to escape without Jack ever knowing they had nearly been caught; if Norrington won, she would leave the ship for two weeks to give him time to catch Jack without risking her being caught. It was enjoyable, but Charlie always won because the Commodore was too noble to cheat. Though perhaps the ale was meant to get her drunk and cheat in a roundabout way. The thought made her smile.

“Commodore, you don’t need to get me drunk to seduce me,” she joked, draping her jacket on one of the two chairs.

The Commodore came up behind her and muttered into her ear, “If this was an attempt at seduction, Charlotte, you would know it.”

She felt the rich baritone down to her toes. It would do her no good to let him know that, though, so she bit her lip to keep from grinning and continued their banter. “I’m going to have to find new ways to throw you off your game.”

“You threatened to strip when we first met,” he countered.

“So, you’re saying I ought to strip?”

Norrington laughed a little as he took the seat opposite her. “Are you like this with everyone?” he asked, smirking.

“Only you, Commodore,” she replied with a grin.

He smiled and shook his head. “Will you finally agree to stay away from _The Black Pearl_ and Jack Sparrow without having to gamble?"

“ _Captain_ ,” she corrected. 

To his credit, the Commodore did not even flinch that time. “That’s a ‘no’, then,” he said, with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. “If you’re caught with him, I can’t guarantee your protection, Charlotte.”

“I understand,” she replied, then took a swig of her ale. “But I can’t just leave him to his own devices.”

Norrigton snorted a laugh. “I believe Sparrow is fine with his own devices, if history is anything to go by.”

“Perhaps,” she agreed. “Are we going to talk about Jack all night or are you going to deal?”

Norrington grinned widely, then began to deal the cards.


	10. Part 2: Take Thine Refuge With Thine Wine In The Nothing Behind Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not mine, Movies AU
> 
> I'm taking the movies and a version of the script I found on Kindle and combining that with dropping Charlie into the mix to create the AU.

One thing Tortuga could never be called is ‘boring’. Or ‘quiet’ for that matter. Drunken revellers lined the streets, some laughing happily, others fighting. In the darkened corners and alleys men and women concluded less than legal business. But tonight none of that bothered Charlie as she charged straight through it, ducking and whirling out of the way like a woman on a mission.

Jack Sparrow was on Tortuga collecting a crew and he had not thought to find her. The bastard knew she would be there - he had left her in the Bahamas a little over two months prior with the promise to meet her in Tortuga in two weeks. _Two weeks, my foot!_

As she approached _The Faithful Bride_ she saw patrons spilling out into the streets, tangled in fights. She stopped and sighed. This was probably Jack’s fault.

Two men tumbled out the main door, wrestling each other to the ground and Jack Sparrow and Joshamee Gibbs appeared in the doorway behind them. “Jack!” she called out. 

He startled and turned in the direction of her voice. “Charlie!” he greeted genially.

“Don’t you ‘Charlie!’ me, you were supposed to be here three weeks ago!” she shot back, pointing an accusing finger.

His features screwed up in confusion and he looked around wildly. “What day is it?”

Instead of answering, Charlie stood her ground, arms crossed.

“I’m sorry?” he tried next, face split by a wide and slightly nervous grin. A gunshot from the tavern caused him to jump and move forward. “Why don’t we return to _the Pearl_ and I’ll fill you in, aye?”

She looked at Gibbs who shrugged, then rolled her eyes in defeat. “Lead the way, Captain,” she muttered.

As they walked through the town Jack told her about Davy Jones and the Black Spot, and mentioned that he needed a crew to go after Jones. There was definitely something he was leaving out. He skipped around too much and glossed over what seemed like big details. Jack Sparrow was spooked and up to something he was not happy about. Something he would not even tell Charlie. The entire conversation, Gibbs strolled along next to Jack and looked everywhere but at her and Jack. Whatever it was they both knew.

And whatever it was she was not about to press it when they had room to run away. It would keep until they were at sea.

As they approached the ship a voice called out to Jack.

“Come to join me crew lad?” he asked, half turning to look at the speaker as he continued forward. “Welcome aboard!”

Charlie glanced over her shoulder and saw Elizabeth Swann dressed in men’s clothing, then turned back to Jack. “Lad?”

“I’m here to find the man I love,” Elizabeth said.

“I’m deeply flattered, son, but -.”

“Jack, it’s Elizabeth Swann,” Charlie chided him as she turned around to embrace her friend.

“Hide the rum,” she heard Jack whisper to Gibbs.

Stepping back from the hug, she asked, “how are you?” Next to them she saw a filthy man hunched over some barrels emptying the contents of his stomach into the water.

Elizabeth’s expression wavered only for a moment. “Will. I know he came looking for Jack.” Her eyes moved from Charlie to a very guilty looking Jack. “Where is he?”

“You know,” Jack began, “these clothes don’t flatter you at all. It should be a dress or nothing. I happen to have no dress in my cabin!”

Charlie reached out to hit him in the arm and shouted at the same time as Elizabeth, “Jack!”

Jack grimaced. “Very well.” He turned to Elizabeth and continued, “darling, I am truly unhappy to tell you this, but, through an unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable series of circumstances that have nothing whatsoever to do with me, poor William has been press-ganged into Davy Jones’ crew.”

As Elizabeth echoed the name Charlie hit Jack again and asked, “what did you do?” On the upside, she supposed, at least now she knew why Jack and Gibbs were being fidgety earlier.

“Oh, please,” the drunk man next to them began with a familiar voice, “the Captain of _The Flying Dutchman_?” When he stood upright he revealed himself to be Commodore Norrington. Well, upright was a relative term. He stood swaying, nearly in time with the light breeze in the port.

Charlie gaped. “Commodore?”

“Don’t call him that,” Jack whispered theatrically to her. “Gets upset, starts fights.” Turning back to Norrington, he swayed backward a little. “You look bloody awful, what are you doing here?”

Norrington leaned back a little to brace himself against the barrels. “You hired me, remember? I can’t help it if your standards are lax.” And with that he turned to let loose on the water again.

“You smell funny,” Jack taunted childishly.

Charlie rolled her eyes, then pushed Jack aside and shoved her way between him and Elizabeth to get to Norrington, who was still hunched over the barrels. His once pristine white wig was now grimy and flecked with dirt, the jacket that was once his uniform jacket was caked with mud and what she assumed was vomit. He smelled as though he had been rolling around in pig shit. Nonetheless she reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. “What happened?” she asked softly.

“In hindsight, perhaps cheating was not my finest idea,” he laughed bitterly as soon as he stopped heaving.

She opened her mouth and immediately closed it. If Jack had been correct, and it seemed likely given the state of Norrington’s uniform, she was unsure of what to call him. Would he allow her to use his given name? He had not even met her eyes yet.

Standing a little more upright, he pushed her hand away and walked to the other side of the dock. “I resigned,” was all he said, as though that explained everything.

Fine. He wanted to be obtuse, so could she. “I should hope so, otherwise the Royal Navy have become quite lenient in their uniform standards.”

He laughed sharply again, leaning over the rails on the dock. For a moment she thought he was about to heave again, but he seemed to have reined it in.

With a sigh, she came to stand next to him, mimicking his pose. “Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to guess?”

This time when he opened his mouth to reply, he leaned forward and vomited again. She reached out and pushed a piece of his wig out of the way, holding it back behind his ear when it stubbornly refused to stay on its own. Over her shoulder she saw Jack hand the compass over to Elizabeth and babble on about how he knew what she wanted most. Why the hell was Jack not using the compass himself? She met her friend's eyes and he quickly looked away before dramatically uncovering the compass and standing back. She turned to watch the scene unfold, curious about what Jack was up to.

Norrington stood up beside her and threw his arm around her shoulders for balance. As much as it pained her to admit, Jack was right, the man reeked to high heaven. She probably ought to shuffle him aboard and help him clean up before he nauseated the entire crew. “Are you done?” she asked, half turning her head to look up at him and breathing shallowly.

“Think so,” he muttered as he swayed a little.

“Let’s get you on board, then.” She reached an arm behind his back to steady him and lead him toward the gangplank. Behind them Jack and Gibbs shouted orders to make sail for whatever direction the compass had shown Elizabeth.

One of the crew pushed past them, hauling a goat up to the ship. She recognised the man as one of the cursed pirates from Barbossa’s crew. Why the hell was he with Jack’s crew? “You,” she called to him. “Get me a wash basin, have it brought to the first mate’s cabin.” When he looked behind her, presumably at Jack for permission, she pushed her face into his field of vision and said, “don’t look at him, look at me and say ‘yes, ma’am’.”

The man bowed his head and muttered, “yes, ma’am.” When he moved to hand the goat off to Norrington, Charlie put up her hand between them and gave her best glare. He shrugged an apology and walked away, giving the goat to another sailor.


	11. Part 2: Manifestations Of Everyday Chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not mine. Movies AU.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's reviewed/kudo..ed?/etc!

_The Pearl_ was underway before Pintel - that's what Gibbs had said his name was - showed up at her cabin with the wash basin and rags. Gibbs had been and gone with a hangover cure for Norrington to drink, and the former Commodore was sat on her bed with his head in his hands, trying to sober up. He had not said a word to her since he sat down.

She put the basin on the desk and the rags next to it, then walked over to the bed and sat down next to Norrington.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked, without looking up.

"I told you before," she replied with a soft smile, "I don't know who I'd argue with if anything happened to you."

He huffed a laugh and finally looked up at her. "I believe that was why you saved my life."

She giggled. "You're right, my mistake."

Norrington smirked and stood up. "Thank you."

"For admitting you were right?"

"For helping me."

Banter she could handle; this gratitude, and the look on his face, was something else entirely, so she changed the subject. "If you take off your jacket, I can have someone try to get some of the dirt off while you're washing up." Norrington shrugged out of the jacket and handed it to her, then turned back to the basin. Charlie opened the door and called to the nearest man on the deck to get the jacket cleaned. When she turned back around he had unbuttoned the top of his shirt and was wiping the dirt off his face and neck with a rag. Despite appearing to have spent the better part of a month three sheets in the wind, he clearly had not stopped taking care of himself entirely. At least not if what she saw of his chest was anything to go by. He was in good shape. Before he could see her blushing, she turned to the nearest shelf and busied herself with the books on it.

"Now that we're alone, are you going to tell me what happened?" she prompted.

"I told you," he grunted, sloshing the water in the wash basin. "I resigned."

She turned back to face him and quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not stupid."

"I never said -."

"You might as well have, if you think I believe you spontaneously decided to resign and spend a month living in pig shit!"

He took a deep breath and leaned forward, hands gripping the edges of the table. "After you lost our game-."

"After you cheated?" she reminded him, tongue firmly in cheek.

He sighed, and Charlie winced inwardly. One day she would have to learn to watch her mouth better. "Yes, after I cheated. We were closing in on the Pearl off the cost of Tripoli. And -." Norrington paused and took a few deep breaths. "There was a hurricane," he muttered, bowing his head.

Charlie opened her mouth to prompt him to continue, but closed it immediately. Now was not the time. He looked...haunted. And she knew pushing him would not help. Instead she leaned back against the cabin wall and waited patiently.

"I should have found a port, should've...but I ordered the crew to sail into it." He laughed bitterly. By this time his hands were whiteknuckled on the edge of the table. "They found me floating on a piece of debris two days later, the only survivor. I was responsible for those men and now they're dead. What choice did I have but to resign?"

In her mind's eye she saw a ship burning and heard the screams of its crew. Her crew. Every single one gone. And she was left alive to watch, chained to a longboat while her crew burned, unable to help them. She wished she had never met that lobcock.

"We've all made bad choices," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Ones that lead to the deaths of over a hundred good men?" he ground out.

She shook her head, then realised he could not see that and admitted, "No." He huffed a laugh and she added, "thirty good women."

Still gripping the table, he turned his head to look over his shoulder at her.

Charlie met his eyes slowly and steadied herself to explain. "The only ship and crew I've ever had. All gone because I made bad decisions. The worst part of it is, even knowing the consequences, I'm not sure how many of those decisions I would have made differently or if that would even have made a difference." She blinked back the tears and pushed away from the wall. After taking a moment to breathe, she took a few steps closer to Norrington, then reached out to put a hand on his shoulder.

Faster than she would have thought him capable, his hand gripped her wrist and stopped her as his eyes locked on hers.

She nodded her assent and he slowly released her wrist. "Did you want some privacy?"

"Do you?"

"No."

"No," he muttered as his eyes finally left hers and he resumed washing up.

"Are you sure? I don't mi-."

"I said no, Charlotte," he exclaimed with an exasperated sigh as he threw the rag into the wash basin. A frown creased his brow when he turned to face her.

"When you're done washing up, I'll help you remove the wig," she offered in an effort to alleviate the tension.

He nodded and turned back to the basin. "You never told me how you became a pirate." His voice was muffled by the rag as he washed his face.

"What makes you think I haven't always been one?" she teased. He was clearly deflecting, but she doubted either of them were in the mood to continue the conversation.

"Oh, please," he scoffed. "Your posture is perfect and I have yet to hear you use expressions like 'ain't' and 'we was', unlike the rest of this rabble."

"Are you always this observant, or only when you're drunk?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"Yes," she conceded, "and I'm the only one of us who's done that tonight." When he did not rise to the bait, she sighed. "No, I wasn't always a pirate. My family were...quite well off back home. But my father wanted me to marry a degenerate and I disagreed, so I donned men's clothing, stowed away on a ship, and here I am."

"Not a lot of degenerates amongst the nobility," he remarked.

"You only believe that because you've never, presumably, been a 17 year old girl about to be married off as part of your father's business dealings."

He smiled, though it did not quite reach his eyes, and put down the rags. She had almost forgotten what he looked like under the muck. His green eyes shone a little brighter, his skin was a less unhealthy pallor. He was almost himself again, except for the beard and matted wig. If pressed, though, Charlie would have to admit she liked the beard.

"Shall we take off the wig now?"

"Thank you," he said again, trudging to the bed to sit down.

"You are most welcome," she replied with a smile, sliding her fingers under the wig to search for the pins. Under the wig, his hair was much softer than she would have expected. It did not feel grimey or filthy. Perhaps all that filth was a single night's debauchery. If so, it was impressive. The former Commodore closed his eyes and hummed as she threaded her fingers through his hair, searching for and removing pins. "So what ought I to call you?"

Without opening his eyes, he murmured, "Just 'James'."

She smiled and grabbed the last pin from his hair before lifting off the wig and placing it on the side table. "I like just James," she said, smoothing down his hair.

His eyes drifted open and he looked at her strangely for a moment before pulling her down to straddle his lap. Before she could ask what he was doing his lips were on hers. Her hand moved to slap him, but it stopped as soon as it was raised. By Jupiter, when his tongue slipped into her mouth she lost all thought of harming him. His beard scratched gently at her skin as his mouth moved slowly against hers. Her arms wound around his neck and her hands threaded into his hair again while his hands slid down to her hips, each trying to pull the other closer.

It was not like other kisses she had experienced. He did not take or demand, he asked and let her set the pace. Even now the man was impossibly proper. She ground against him, whimpering when he moaned her name.

A loud crash on the deck above the cabin caused them to break apart slightly, foreheads resting together. Charlie turned slightly to face the door to see if anyone burst through it with some sort of emergency. It gave her a chance to steady her breathing. When the door remained blissfully shut, she closed her eyes and muttered, "I'm going to kill Jack."

"I'll help," James added, chuckling. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking her jaw.

She brought her eyes back to his and ran her fingers through the scruff of his beard. On closer inspection, she liked it even more. "Why didn't we do that sooner?"

"What?" he began, chuckling as he trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. His laughter sent pleasant vibrations across her skin. "A Commodore of the Royal Navy and a _pirate_?"

Charlie froze. Did he just say…? She pulled back a little, then pushed out of his grasp and backed up to the other side of the room. "Is that what you think of me?"

He stood up, confusion on his face. "What, that you're a pirate? You are."

"And you have to say it with such contempt?"

"Charlotte, you have to admit that pirates don't have a reputation for being upstanding -."

"Get out!" she snarled, grabbing his wig and tossing it at him.

He closed his mouth and stared at her, blinking.

"Out!" she shouted, pointing to the door.

After working his jaw for a moment, he shouted back, "gladly!"

She turned away from him and heard the door slam. She realised her cheeks were wet and wondered when the tears had fallen. Why on Earth would he even bother to kiss her if he felt that way? What an ass! She grabbed the nearest thing on the table and tossed it as hard as she could across the room, barely hearing it shatter against the wall.

A knock sounded behind her and she whirled around, ready to give Norrington a piece of her mind. But when she opened it she found Elizabeth on the other side, looking at her strangely. She could only imagine the look on her own face, full of fury and eyes brimming with tears.

"What happened?"

"James Norrington is…is...he's…a...zoilist! And a stymphalist!" she sputtered.

Elizabeth blinked.

Charlie blew out a breath and wiped at her tears. "Sorry," she sniffled. "Where's the rum?" She looked around the room, checking in drawers and cabinets.

"Charlie."

She froze, hand in the small cabinet next to the bed, and stood up. Without turning to look at Elizabeth she said, "He, uh...he kissed me. Then proceeded to remind me how worthless a pirate like me is to a man in the Royal Navy, but he's not in the Royal Navy any longer so it's okay!"

"Oh, Charlie…."

"I'm fine. I should've known better, aye?" she said with forced cheerfulness as she spun around to face Elizabeth. "Now, why are you here?"

Again Elizabeth blinked. "I...Jack suggested we share the cabin…."

"Was that before or after he suggested sharing his again?" Charlie laughed. Before Elizabeth could answer, she continued, "I'll go get a hammock."

She did not wait for a response before heading out to the deck. Norrington was standing on the other side of the deck and looked up at her when she left her cabin. Definitely not ready for that, she thought as she turned away and walked up to the quarterdeck. Unless things had changed dramatically, Jack would keep extra hammocks in a chest secured along the back railing. She bent down to unlock and inspect the chest.

"Trouble in paradise?" Jack's voice came behind her.

"No."

"Really? You took the Former Commodore to your cabin all lovey dovey, now you're both glaring and broody."

"Nothing's wrong, Jack. Leave it be," she muttered, pulling a hammock from the chest.

"Liar."

She stood abruptly and faced him, hammock in hand. "Let it go, or I'll throw you overboard, Jack."

Jack offered a toothy grin. "Oooooh," he mocked. "I might even be afraid, if you meant that."

Shoulder checking him as she stalked past him, she grumbled, "I'm going to bed."

"Sleep tight, don't let the Commodores bite," Jack called.

Charlie tossed him an obscene gesture behind her back as she descended the stairs and headed back to her cabin.


	12. Part 2: O How The Darknesses Do Crowd Up, One Against The Other, In Ye Hearts

The next day Charlie stood at the stern of the ship, watching the water and the clouds. Every so often she would look to the deck and catch James staring at her, before he resumed washing the deck with the remnants of his wig. Elizabeth stood on the opposite side of the deck, examining papers and looking wistfully out over the sea. All in all, the cloudy day felt appropriate.

James turned back to his bucket the second she glanced his way again. He angrily tossed the wig into the bucket, then slammed it down on the deck. Jack grinned at Charlie as he walked toward the former Commodore. Whatever he said to James had not helped the man’s mood. 

But when Jack thrust his boot forward and tapped it impatiently on the deck for James to wash, she could not contain her laughter as he furiously scrubbed at the boot. Jack grinned at her, then walked toward Elizabeth, waving his hand to get Charlie to join him.

“How dare you!” Elizabeth exclaimed as he swiped the papers she had been examining.

Jack strolled away grandly, lifting the papers up as he examined them. “These letters of marque are meant to go to me, are they not?” he asked without turning to look at her.

Letters of marque? Oh, that was rich. Jack would never become a privateer for King George.

Gibbs approached Jack and Elizabeth at the same time Charlie did. He noticed the signature first. “Beckett?” he blurted out.

This was bad. Beckett wanted to rope Jack into working for the East India Trading Company again? Charlie did not buy it. More likely the man wanted to kill Jack.

“Yes, they’re signed,” Elizabeth asserted, oblivious to the connection between Jack and Beckett. “Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company.”

“You know what he wants, Jack,” Charlie muttered as he made a noise of disgust.

Gibbs growled, “The compass! Only one reason for that.”

“Of course,” Jack agreed, grim. He turned to look back at Charlie and Gibbs. “He wants the chest.”

“Yes, he did say something about a chest.”

It was all Charlie could do not to roll her eyes at Elizabeth’s naivete. “If Becket gets the chest, he’ll get control of the seas,” she explained. “That’s...very bad. For everyone.”

Jack snorted. “Putting it mildly, love. It is a truly discomforting notion.”

Gibbs growled again. “I think there’s a bit more speed to be coaxed from these sails.” He ran down the deck and began shouting orders at the men. 

Charlie exchanged a look with Jack, then walked back to the quarterdeck to study the maps. Maybe there was a better route to their destination. If Beckett somehow managed to find it first…. She did not want to finish that thought.

When she looked up from the maps, she saw James talking to Elizabeth and could not help herself. She walked down the stairs on the opposite side of the ship and looped around, hoping to hear what he was saying.

As she walked she caught Elizabeth saying something to him about her, but did not quite catch what it was. She handed him the compass and whatever it was he saw, he did not like it. He laughed bitterly as he tossed it back and walked away before turning back to deliver a parting shot. “So you never wondered how your _latest_ fiance ended up on _The Flying Dutchman_ in the first place?”

When he turned around, he nearly walked into Charlie who had come to a stop behind him to glare. “Are you just an ass to everyone who cares about you now? Is that the new James Norrington?” she asked, before walking away, muttering angrily to herself. How was this even the same man she played cards with for her freedom, who gave her the key in Port Royal, who showed her kindness on the journey back from Isla de Muerta? “Stupid, arrogant, son of a….” She did not even bother to check whether her mark had hit home.

* * *

A few solid hours of fuming had not lessened Charlie’s bad mood. Every time she thought she was over it, she would look at James and be reminded of how he had been acting since stepping on _the Pearl_. Hell, probably how he had been acting for a while now. It was bad enough he had kissed her then suggested it was only acceptable due to his lower station, but now Elizabeth had been dragged into his foul attitude.

She sighed and cast her gaze skyward. It was probably best to apologise to her for being caught in the middle of...whatever was happening. Perhaps Elizabeth would even have some advice for her. After all, she had known James for a lot longer.

Taking a deep breath to relax, she crossed the deck to where the other woman was gazing out over the ocean, deep in thought. “Is this about what James said, what Jack said or did, or something else?” she asked as she approached.

Elizabeth laughed humourlessly. “I’m not sure.”

“What say we hang the lot of ‘em and get our own ship?” she offered. Elizabeth huffed a laugh and Charlie added, “I’m only half-joking, by the way.” She fidgeted with her hands for a moment, trying to find the right words. “I’m sorry.”

Elizabeth turned to look at her curiously. “For?”

“James,” she replied, sighing as she tossed her hands in the air. “He...whatever he...you shouldn’t’ve been caught up in it.”

“He ought to apologise, not you,” Elizabeth replied, turning back to look out over the ocean.

“I’m fairly certain our fight isn’t helping his mood,” Charlie admitted, mimicking Elizabeth’s pose and fidgeting with her hands. “I just...I wish I knew what was going through his mind.”

“I’m not sure even he knows.” It was so quiet, Charlie was not even sure she had heard it. 

“That much is evident,” she huffed.

Elizabeth turned to face her. “Regardless of what he’s going through right now, he cares very much for you.” Her gaze shifted sideways to the deck and back, and she smirked. “He keeps staring at you when he thinks no one's looking. He’s been doing it all morning.”

A laugh blew out as Charlie turned to look where Elizabeth had been looking. James turned his head abruptly and he resumed scrubbing the deck. “Maybe he’s wondering what he was thinking when he kissed me.” She resumed looking out over the ocean, blinking back tears.

“Charlie.”

Off to her left Charlie saw a shark leap out of the water to catch its prey. “That’s not ominous at all,” she laughed bitterly.

"Charlie, whatever he thinks of you, it's most certainly not that you're beneath him." She smirked again. "He may want you to be beneath him, but I don't believe he sees you as being beneath him."

A sharp laugh escaped her. “I do believe this is the point in our budding friendship where I am no longer certain who is the bad influence.” 

They sat in companionable silence for a while, staring out over the open sea, before Elizabeth spoke up. “You know, I was in my wedding dress when Lord Beckett arrested me. I had to leave it on the merchant vessel I used to escape.”

Charlie waved her hand dismissively. “Impractical, anyway,” she said. “Never thought they were of much use. You spend all day in the thing, barely able to breathe, and you need an entire crew to get it off for your wedding night. Who needs all that fuss?”

Elizabeth chuckled.

All evidence pointed to her friend not being offended by her efforts to cheer her up, so she pressed on, “the way I see it, you find a nudist -.”

“Charlie!” Jack’s voice rang out. He was standing up on the quarterdeck, hunched over with Gibbs. “Lizzie!”

With a roll of her eyes, she led her friend up the stairs. “This ought to go without saying, but if it is Jack that’s bothering you, ignore him. He’s just...being Jack,” she advised, lowering her voice so only the two of them would hear it. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Elizabeth replied thoughtfully as they stepped up to where Jack and Gibbs were waiting.

Below, she caught James looking at her again. Perhaps Elizabeth was correct about how he felt. There was only one way to find out, though, and Charlie was not sure she was ready for that yet.


	13. Part 2: You Will Learn More And Understand Less

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movies AU, still not mine.
> 
> Thank you again to everyone! :)

The better part of the next hour, after helping Jack, was spent in her quarters, staring at the pile of pins that had been left over from removing James' wig. When it became evident that they would not somehow unravel the mysteries of the universe, she blew out a breath and wandered out to the deck.

Her intention was to find James, but the first thing she noticed was Elizabeth and Jack looking cozy near the railing. Elizabeth looked smug and Jack looked as though he had seen a ghost. Whatever was bothering him would not bode well for all aboard. She was about to interrupt them when Gibbs shouted, "Land ho!"

Everyone ran to the starboard side of the ship, where an island was rising up on the horizon as they approached. Everyone except Jack, who seemed to have retreated to his cabin. Charlie walked up to the side of the ship to watch as the ship neared the island. If the charts were correct, this was Isla Cruces.

She felt someone come to stand behind her and knew it was James even before she saw his hand rest on the rail. While she continued to watch the horizon her mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to find the right words, but nothing came out. Was she sorry? Had she overreacted? Should he be sorry? Were they both at fault?

And naturally that was the moment Jack chose to emerge from the cabin, hugging a jar of dirt, to bark orders at the crew to prepare a longboat. He grabbed James and shoved him toward the men preparing the boat. "Hurry!"

Charlie glared at him. "Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Doing what?" he asked, walking away without waiting for an answer.

The boat was prepped, with a couple of shovels added by Jack, and lowered into the water in record time. Pintel and Ragetti went into the boat first, followed by James. Though he had not said, Charlie assumed Jack would make James do all the digging. When the supplies were loaded in, Jack went in next and helped Elizabeth into the front of the boat while James extended a hand to Charlie. She hesitated but took it and allowed him to help her into the boat next to him.

"Thank you," she muttered, trying to hide her blush.

He smiled tightly in return, perhaps holding her hand a moment too long. Not that she minded.

When they were halfway between boat and land, she had resolved to speak to James, but as she opened her mouth Pintel and Ragetti began arguing. It started as an argument about how quickly to row and devolved into bickering about the pronunciation of 'kraken'. She felt James move his arm to rest his hand on the side of the boat behind her. Even though his arm was not actually around her, it still felt damned good and made her long for more contact.

"It's a mythical creature, I can calls it what I wants," Ragetti pouted.

Charlie scrubbed a hand across her face. "If I pick a pronunciation, will you two shut up?"

They both shrunk back a little and muttered, "Sorry, ma'am."

Beside her James laughed softly and slid his arm a little closer to her, while looking off into the distance. Something was on his mind and it was not their argument, nor was it the pronunciation of 'kraken'. Her arm itched to reach out and offer comfort, but she held back, unsure if it was appropriate. Neither of them had apologised or even addressed their fight. When they got back to the _Pearl_ , she would make sure to take him to her cabin to talk in peace. And if Jack even thought about interrupting, she would send him to the kraken herself.

As soon as they reached the shore, Elizabeth ran out of the boat first, followed by Charlie and James, each carrying a shovel. Over her shoulder, she saw Jack bark an order to Pintel and Ragetti before leaving the boat.

Before she even realised what was happening, Jack had come up behind her and swiped the shovel, then ran off to the front of the group, past Elizabeth. "Jack!"

She ran after him and tried to get the shovel back, leaping onto his back only to have him worm his way out of her grip and for her to wind up flat on her back in the sand. Jack used the opportunity to head back toward Elizabeth and James, shouting, "No fraternising with the help!"

Charlie took off after him, just in time to hear James say, "Better mad with the rest of the world than sane alone."

"And which are you?" she asked softly as she skidded to a stop in the sand, grabbing Jack's back to keep herself upright. She was pretty sure Jack had not heard the question as he was attempting to wrestle Elizabeth away.

As Jack whirled Elizabeth in the direction the compass was pointing, he thrust the second shovel at James. "A gentleman would carry the shovel for her, mate."

"You were the one who took it from her."

" _She's_ right here," Charlie grumbled.

"I'm not a gentleman," he replied petulantly, grabbing Charlie and pulling her along.

Wrenching her arm free, she muttered, "no, you're a child."

They continued along until they came to a spot between two green patches on the island where Elizabeth began pacing. Every so often she would flip the compass closed, then open it again, stare, growl, and flip it closed again. Jack waited patiently nearby while James glared at the compass and tapped his fingers on the hilts of the shovels. Charlie was about to ask him why when Elizabeth flopped down irritably in the dirt.

"It doesn't work," she grumbled. "And it certainly doesn't show what you want most!" She tossed the compass down in the sand next to her.

Jack scrambled down the greenery towards her. "Yes it does," he muttered, looking at the compass. "You're sitting on it."

Elizabeth turned to look at him. "Beg your pardon?"

"Move," Jack said, shooing her away from where she was seated. The second she had scrambled away, he whistled to James and gestured at the spot she had been sitting on.

"Jack!" Charlie scolded.

James glared and tossed down one shovel, then approached the spot and began digging.

Charlie moved to pick up the other shovel and help him, but Jack put his boot down on it and made a childish noise. "Jack! You're not seriously -."

He cut her off with another noise, then bent to pick up the shovel and walked away. If looks could kill, Charlie was fairly certain she would have just murdered her oldest friend. Jack put the shovel down, then sat on top of it and began meditating. Or at least he assumed the pose and looked for all intents and purposes to be meditating. Charlie was sure he was either thinking about something inane or plotting how they would escape Davy Jones. It was hard to say which.

Elizabeth stood behind James, biting her nails and watching as he dug for the chest.

All Charlie could do was join her, despite her desire to help.

It was not long before James hit something. She walked over with Elizabeth, and bent down next to James to help clear dirt off whatever he had hit with the shovel. They glanced at each other a few times as they worked, and he helped her up when they finished. Jack shoved everyone out of the way so he could pull the chest out of the hole, then broke the lock with one of the shovels. Sinking to his knees, Jack reached forward and gently threw open the chest to reveal an assortment of pearls and letters and lace and a music box.

Elizabeth pulled out one of the letters and read it, while Jack sifted through the pile and pulled out a large chest.

All four of them exchanged a look, then moved close to the chest to listen for a heartbeat. In the back of her mind, Charlie thought it was absurd as the chances of hearing it through the thick metal were slim. Nonetheless they all held their breath and waited.

_TH-THUMP!_

Her jaw dropped.

"It's real," Elizabeth muttered, staring at the chest.

James smiled and turned to Jack. It looked like genuine happiness, until she looked at his eyes. Why did he care about the heart being real anyway? It would not benefit him. "You actually _were_ telling the truth," he muttered incredulously at Jack.

Jack's eyes were wide as he looked up at Norrington then back to the chest. "I do that quite a lot, yet people are always surprised."

"With good reason!" Will Turner's voice sounded behind Jack.

"Will!" Elizabeth leapt to her feet and threw herself into his arms, pulling him in for a kiss.

While she did not want to intrude on the private moment, she had to admit that she looked away more from awkwardness at being stood next to James during the display. Her gaze landed on the letters in the chest. The story of Davy Jones and Calypso was a love story, ostensibly, but given what Jones had become, she was fairly certain it had not ended well for either party.

"How did you get here?" Jack's voice broke her from her reverie.

"Sea turtles, mate," he answered. "A pair of them, strapped to my feet."

That made her grin. Jack deserved that one.

"It's not so easy, is it?"

"But I do owe you thanks, Jack," Will continued.

Charlie stepped forward and came to a stop next to James, who cast her a brief glance before looking back at Jack and Will.

Will went on about how Jack tricked him into squaring his debt on _The Flying Dutchman,_ surprising only Elizabeth, and told of his reunion with his father. At that moment Charlie saw the compass peeking out from under some dirt and bent to pick it up. The same expression James had been wearing when Elizabeth held the compass returned. She tossed the compass to Jack then turned to James, who was glaring between Jack and Will. Elizabeth marched forward and berated Jack.

"Are you going to tell me?" she asked James softly.

The only sign he had heard her was a wince as he continued watching everything unfold. Will stepped forward and dropped to his knees at the chest. That was when everything went to pot.

Jack drew his sword on Will, who wanted to open the chest and use the heart to free his father. James pulled Charlie behind him in that same moment. And when Will drew back on Jack, James drew on Will.

"I can't let you do that either," James muttered. "So sorry."

"What are you -?" Charlie started.

"I knew you'd warm up to me eventually!" Jack exclaimed, moving toward James before getting the sword turned on him too.

"Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest," James said. "I deliver it, I get my life back."

Charlie took a step back and exchanged a look with Elizabeth. "You can't…."

"Ah," Jack said. "The dark side of ambition."

"Oh, I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption," James replied, smirking.

Jack turned to Charlie. "Remind me what you see in him?"

"Jack, shut up," she bit out. Before she could ask him what was going on, James lunged at Will and all three men launched into a fight.

Elizabeth screamed at them to stop.

"You're behaving like children!" Charlie shouted.

But their shouts fell on deaf ears as the men continued to fight, with Will demanding that Elizabeth guard the chest after James knocked him to the ground.

"If you need help killing them, I'm available," Charlie grumbled as they both took off after them.

"I may take you up on that," Elizabeth agreed. "I'm tempted to take you up on the offer of 'hang the lot and get our own ship'!" She grabbed some rocks and began tossing them at the trio. "This is _barbaric_! This is no way for grown men to behave!"

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?" Charlie threw in.

"Fine! Fine! Let's just all pull out our swords and start banging away at each other!"

"Yes, very mature," Charlie added. "I'm sure this will solve everything! Not problematic at all!"

It was still no use.

"Fine!" Charlie growled. "You can stay and watch the idiocy, if you'd like. I'm going back to the bloody boat."

With that she turned and stalked off. She was fairly sure they would not kill one another. Maiming? Possible. But she could deal with any injuries later. If they were dead set on fighting, she was not in the mood to stop them. She had tried. But she would only tolerate being ignored for so long. It was better to go blow off some steam of her own by walking and quietly cursing out the three men.

Not long after abandoning the group, she saw Jones' men in the distance, closing in. "Damn."

Fast as her feet would carry her, she ran back to where she had abandoned everyone only to find them all long gone. Six sets of footprints moved in the sand - the group that was Jack, Will, and James was apparent due to the chaotic nature of their fight. But what was the other group? Why would Pintel and Ragetti be running around with or running after Elizabeth?

There was really no choice at all which set to follow.

If the two troglodytes were following Elizabeth, she may need assistance with greater urgency than the trio of fighters. Especially as Will had taken her sword to fight with.

When she caught up to them just inside the treeline, Elizabeth was confronting Pintel and Ragetti, who appeared to have stolen the chest. Charlie charged forward as Elizabeth realised she was unarmed and the two began advancing on her.

As she opened her mouth to shout, the wheel from the mill rolled past with Will and James fighting on top. Where the hell was Jack? At that moment he ran out behind the wheel and chased after it.

 _Immediate problem first_ , she thought, shaking her head to clear it as she drew her sword just behind the two pirates. Elizabeth smirked and pointed behind them.

An axe spun through the air and embedded itself in a nearby tree as Davy Jones' crew broke through the trees.

Pintel and Ragetti tossed their swords at Elizabeth, grabbed the chest, and ran.

"Elizabeth!" Charlie called. "Back to the boat!"

As they ran, the two pirates carried the chest between them, but dropped it when they ran the wrong way around a tree.

All four of them paused, looked at the chest, looked at each other, then looked at the oncoming pirates.

There was no way to outrun them.

Bracing herself for the fight, Charlie growled at Elizabeth, "If we survive this, remind me to kill Jack."

"Just Jack?" she grunted as she swung her sword at the nearest of Jones' crew.

Charlie blocked a blow from a broken sword and grunted, "For a start!"

As they fought, they worked out a system of yelling 'sword!' and tossing the three swords between the four of them

"We need to circle back toward the longboat!" Elizabeth shouted, accepting a sword from Ragetti.

"And the chest!" Charlie added as she ducked under an axe swung at her head. When she hit the ground, she kicked out and knocked the cursed pirate over, then jumped back up and called for a sword.

Eventually they had circled back around to the chest, and Pintel and Ragetti both tossed their swords to Elizabeth and picked up the chest. The pair of them did their best to keep the cursed crew at bay while the other two ran to the boat.

The shore crept up on them and Charlie saw Jack bent over the boat. She exchanged a glance with Elizabeth as they continued fighting. What was he doing?

Ahead, Pintel and Ragetti were being overwhelmed and doing their damnedest to fight off the crew without weapons.

Charlie ducked a blow, and grabbed a dagger from the boot of her attacker as she rolled behind him. Rising back to her feet, she tossed the dagger at one of the crew threatening to snatch the chest, then continued blocking blows and landing a few of her own with the crew around her.

She backed up a little to join Elizabeth so they could fight back to back, and as they fought the wheel plowed through almost all of the cursed pirates they were fighting. James and Will were inside, screaming until the wheel slowed in the shallow water and flopped on its side.

A sword appeared in Charlie's peripheral and she raised her own on instinct to block the blow. Until then she had not even realised she had stopped to watch the wheel.

Pintel and Ragetti seemed to have finally escaped their plight and made it to the boat, just as James looked up from the boat and locked eyes briefly with Charlie.

 _No time_ , she thought, bringing her attention back to the fight.

She had been separated from Elizabeth, but noticed Will assisting her out of the corner of her eye.

Charlie did not even notice the sword bearing down upon her until she heard the clang of it hitting another, and did not realise who it was until she damned near backed right into James. She looked up and grinned as he smirked down at her. "This is familiar!"

"Only I recall it was you saving my life last time," he shot back, kicking out at one of the pirates.

"I believe it was also darker," she added as she blocked a blow with one hand and punched out with the other. Despite the relatively dire circumstances, Charlie could not help the grin that threatened to split her face in two. Perhaps this is where they were in their element - fighting.

As they fought, they backed up closer to the boat. All around them the other fighters - Jack, Will, Elizabeth - were all doing the same. They closed in and over her shoulder, Charlie saw Jack knock Will out with an oar while Elizabeth's back was to them. Will fell face-first into the boat and Jack shouted to Elizabeth to leave him when the sound drew her attention.

All six of them, plus the unconscious Will, were backed up to the boat now.

"We're not getting out of this," Elizabeth's voice came on her left.

"Not with the chest. Into the boat!" James turned around and grabbed the chest, then looked down at Charlie. "Don't wait for me," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her quickly before running off with the chest.

Charlie gaped after him, her mind trying to catch up with what had just happened. "James," she whispered as he disappeared down the beach. Without even realising it, she had started off after him.

Jack stumbled into her line of sight, arms raised dramatically and pointing back to the boat. "Darling, where are you going? The boat is that way."

"And James is that way," she shot back, pointing in the direction he had gone.

"You think he gave his life so you could throw away yours chasing after him?"

Charlie's jaw dropped. "He's not dead, Jack!"

"What is it you think going after him will accomplish? We were outnumbered here, we'd be outnumbered there," he countered.

"So I ought to leave him for dead?" she asked, incredulous.

He took a step closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "Charlotte."

Charlie could not even recall the last time he had used that name. Perhaps when they had first met? She started and looked at him.

"He made that choice. Is the best way to honour it really to throw your own life away?"

She looked up at the sky and saw only clear blue, so where had the moisture on her cheeks come from? Angrily she reached up to wipe it away then accepted the hand Jack offered, allowing herself to be taken back to the boat.


	14. Part 2: Fain To Live Half-Mad, Half-Sane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movies AU, still not mine.
> 
> I'm WAY ahead of where I thought I'd be (nearly done Part 3) so I'm posting a bit more leading up to the holidays :)
> 
> Thank you again to everyone! :)

Almost the exact moment she was able to disembark the boat, she ran to her cabin to collect herself. Instantly she regretted it. All she could see in the small room was the pile of pins from the previous night. That was all she had left of James Norrington now. She wanted to yell and scream and throw something.

Instead she took a few deep breaths and wiped again at the tears she did not remember shedding. There would be time to mourn later.

She grabbed one of the pins and used it to hold her hair back on one side, then took a deep breath. One of Jones' men killed James and she was going to find out who.

Almost the second she walked out of the cabin, _The Flying Dutchman_ jumped out of the sea like a shark intent on its prey. The crew lined the rails and taunted them. Charlie swallowed the lump in her throat and narrowed her eyes. Whatever this fight brought, she was ready. For James.

All around her the crew of the _Pearl_ were readying their courage. Up by the wheel she saw Gibbs cross himself and mutter. On the main deck, Will put a protective arm around Elizabeth.

Jack, however, strode forward with all the confidence in the world and a jar of dirt.

"Oi! Fish-face!" he called, raising the jar over his head. "Lose something?"

If he had been watching where he was going instead of gloating, he might have seen the stairs before he tumbled ass over tea kettle down them to the deck. As it was, all Charlie and the rest could do was wince as he fell.

Miraculously he kept the jar of dirt intact and stood up triumphantly, holding it over his head. "Got it!" He started walking along the deck. "Come to negotiate, have you, you slimy git?"

Charlie buried her head in her hands as he began singing about the jar of dirt. "Jack…," she sighed.

Clearly Jones had had enough. Guns sprouted from the sides of the _Dutchman_ and everyone around her sprung into action, moving the _Pearl_ hard to starboard. Charlie and Elizabeth both ran up to the quarterdeck to keep an eye on the _Dutchman_ as they manoeuvered.

_BANG!_

Charlie looked down and saw a cannonball land on the deck after tearing through the cabin below. She exchanged a look with Elizabeth as Jack ran up the stairs and took over the wheel, jar of dirt still in one hand.

"Jack," she muttered, looking back at the _Dutchman_.

Without taking his eyes off the horizon ahead, he replied, "I know!"

The other ship began losing ground on them as they took the _Pearl_ into the wind.

"She's falling behind!" Elizabeth shouted.

Charlie walked over to Jack, still steering, and Will took her place at the railing. She only half-heard Gibbs explain to them that the _Pearl_ had an advantage with the wind. "Jack, I wanted to thank you for -."

"No need, darling," he muttered.

She nodded in reply, even though Jack could not have seen it.

"They're giving up!" Marty called from his position on the mast.

Cheers erupted all around and Jack seemed to relax. Even Charlie took a deep breath to calm herself. When they were back on land and truly safe again, she would need to take a moment to collect her thoughts.

The entire ship shook, knocking everyone and everything not tied down to the ground. Charlie righted herself and clung to the side of the ship, checking her hair for the pin. Relief flooded her when she felt it still embedded.

"We must have hit a reef!" someone called.

Will stepped forward and pulled Elizabeth back from the railing. "It's not a reef! Get away from the rail!"

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked.

"The Kraken."

Charlie stepped slowly away from the rail and grabbed onto the wheel for balance.

Young Will rallied the crew to arms and directed the attacks to starboard. When the hell had he seen the Kraken and how had he lived to tell the tale? Charlie shook off her confusion and followed everyone down to the main deck. She may have been in the way with rigging the sails, but she could definitely assist in arming the crew.

She ran below decks to the weapons store and began digging out various guns, pistols, and harpoons, and handing them to the crew to dole out. She kept a rifle and a harpoon for herself, slinging the rifle over her back before charging back onto the main deck. Men all around brandished their harpoons. Charlie came to a stop next to Elizabeth and exchanged a brief nod with her friend, as Will ran to the stairs, ready to give the order.

Large tentacles began creeping up the sides of the ship. Elizabeth called to Will repeatedly, then he finally gave the order.

"FIRE!"

Cannons erupted around the ship and the tentacles sank beneath the waves slowly.

_It couldn't be that easy,_ Charlie thought to herself, ignoring the cheers around her.

"It'll be back," Will muttered. "We have to get off the ship."

She turned around just in time to see the wreckage that had been the longboats.

He began barking orders to prepare the powder kegs.

Where the hell was Jack? Running up to the quarterdeck, scanned the deck below but could not see him. Had the Kraken taken him?

Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and feared it was the Kraken. Instead she saw Jack rowing away on a longboat. "Jack? What the hell!" If she survived this, she was going to kill him.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the deck, where the men were preparing for the explosion to come. Elizabeth stood off to the side with a rifle.

A dull thud came and a moment later all hell broke loose. Tentacles wrapped around the ship and grabbed men where they stood.

Charlie ran down to help Elizabeth and to ensure she was protected while taking her shot at the kegs the men were heaving into the air. As she ran a tentacle jutted out ahead of her and grabbed one of the crew before her eyes and dragged him screaming off the boat.

When she finally caught up to Elizabeth, they were backing up against the now open captain's cabin behind them. "I've got your back, just concentrate on your shot!" she shouted, picking up a second sword from the body of a crew member.

Will was shouting at Elizabeth to shoot, while Elizabeth was waiting for him to get clear. If they did not hurry, the entire ship was doomed and it would not matter who was attached to the powder kegs.

Charlie half-turned her head to her friend. "Hurry!"

In the moment she had turned, the Kraken struck. Elizabeth went flying backward with a scream and Charlie felt herself being flung through the air to land on the deck. The rifle flew past her head as she landed and the crewman who picked it up was taken by the Kraken, sending it flying again to the quarterdeck. Elizabeth ran up the stairs, flailing and falling.

Charlie grinned when she saw Jack step up and put his foot on the rifle. _He came back!_ Not that she would not give him a hard time about leaving later. For now, though, she was just glad he was there.

He took aim and blew the barrels just as Will had fallen away from them. Pieces of wood and Kraken flew everywhere.

Even though she saw it coming, she was not able to escape the piece of debris before everything went black.


	15. Part 2: Suspended Annihilation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movies AU, still not mine.
> 
> I'm WAY ahead of where I thought I'd be (nearly done Part 3) so I'm posting a bit more leading up to the holidays :)
> 
> I have only 4 more chapters to write before the fic is totally done. I can't believe it. Crazy!
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who's been following/reviewing/etc! :)

When she came to, the chaos and the noise were gone, and her head throbbed with pain. She was uncomfortably positioned in what felt like one of the longboats. Had they abandoned ship? Squeezing her eyes shut against the pain in her head, she took a moment to breathe and collect herself.

A loud noise like the creaking of wood sounded in the distance and in an instant her headache was forgotten. Her eyes snapped open and her head snapped in the direction of the sound.

_The Black Pearl_ was being dragged beneath the waves.

She opened her mouth to speak, but could not find the words. _The Black Pearl_ was everything to Jack, if he let it go, things were dire.

Turning back to the longboat, she scanned for Jack. Everyone on the boat, with the exception of Gibbs who was sitting across from her, avoided catching her eyes. Gibbs shook his head sadly and looked back at the _Pearl_ as the last of her sails went under.

"Jack." Her hand slid subconsciously to the pin in her hair for comfort. She pulled the pin from her hair and caressed it with her thumbs as she stared at the spot where the ship went under. In less than an hour she had lost perhaps the two most important people in her life. Reaching up she once again wiped at the wetness on her cheeks. A wry grin cut through her sadness - she used to be better at holding herself together.

Staring alternately at the pin and the spot where the _Pearl_ had gone down was not helping. The pin kept reminding her of the feeling of James' lips on hers as he kissed her goodbye. And the _Pearl_ reminded her of everything Jack had done for her. Hell, one of the last things he had done was stopping her from getting herself killed by chasing off after James. In their own ways, they had both tried to stop her. If she did something stupid now, neither of them would be around. A soft smile cut its way through the tears. Perhaps they had more in common than either one would have ever admitted. Then again, anything in common might have been too much for either of them.

Wiping again at the tears, she put the pin back in her hair and looked back in the boat, where she saw Gibbs toying with a piece of eight. Gibbs looked up at her, then back out to the sea.

Charlie did not know how long they all sat there in silence. _The Flying Dutchman_ was long gone. They would have to pick a direction to set sail soon or be stranded on Isla Cruces. Gibbs eventually gave the order and they set off.

* * *

It was the next day before they finally had a plan. The coin Gibbs had been toying with began to hum, signalling the Brethren Court had been summoned. When the First Brethren Court met to bind the sea goddess Calypso, the pieces of eight were created to summon the Pirate Lords again in a time of great need. They would signal across the seas to each other when one of the pieces had been sung to, letting the Pirate Lords know to gather the Brethren Court once again. With the Pirate King of the Caribbean gone with no heir, they would need to plot a course through uncharted waters. They would have to visit Tia Dalma to get their bearings.

As they entered the swampland that was her home, men and women gathered around the ship both on land and in the water. They held candles and mourned. Charlie looked at Gibbs, who seemed just as confused. Were they mourning Jack?

They docked the ship at Tia Dalma's shack and Charlie let everyone disembark before her. After a few deep breaths to collect herself, she followed. Everyone except Gibbs was in the shack and Tia Dalma was disappearing into the back. Even from the outside, the atmosphere inside the shack felt too oppressive, so she joined Gibbs leaning against the rail outside.

A dull thudding sound started inside the shack and Charlie turned to see Will tossing his knife into the table repeatedly. Elizabeth sat nearby staring at nothing and holding herself.

Charlie turned back around and looked out over the water. She caught a glint of the piece of eight Gibbs was still fiddling with and winced. It had only just occurred to her that when they did go to Shipwreck Cove, she would have to tell Captain Teague that Jack was gone. That was not going to be an easy conversation.

She wondered if James had any family remaining? James had radiated military with every fibre of his being, so it seemed likely he had been raised by a military father or even a long line of military men. Would they even welcome her if any of them were still around? A pirate?

Her arms tightened around her middle and she held back a sob, looking away from Gibbs to hide the tears. The last time she had slept was on the _Pearl_ , back when both James and Jack were alive. Despite the exhaustion pulling at her, she could not bring herself to sleep, knowing that she would awake to the nightmare again.

Inside she could hear Tia Dalma talking to the crew and Will's reply that the _Pearl_ was gone. Beside her, Gibbs pushed off the railing. "Aye. And already the world seems a bit less bright. He fooled us all, right to the end, but I guess that honest streak finally won out."

Tia Dalma appeared beside her as everyone raised their glasses to Jack and saluted him. The mug she offered was steaming and her expression sympathetic. Charlie took the mug, though she was not sure she was in the mood to drink whatever was in it. Somehow she felt as though it would have been rude not to accept.

"If there was anything could be done to bring him back," she heard Will mutter. "Elizabeth -."

"Would you do it? Hmm?" Tia Dalma cut him off. That caught Charlie's attention. She turned back to face the shack and Tia Dalma. "What would you, hmm? What would any of you be willing to do, hmm? Would you sail to the ends of the Eart' and beyond to fetch back Witty Jack and him precious _Pearl_?"

Gibbs stepped forward and gave the first "aye", then Charlie added hers, and the rest until everyone had agreed.

Charlie scrunched up her features, trying to work out what was going on. But if there was a way to bring Jack back, did that matter? Whatever Tia Dalma was up to, she would do it. Maybe she also had a way to bring James back.

"Alright," Tia Dalma muttered, with a cryptic smile that made Charlie nervous. "But if you go and brave the weird and haunted shores at World's End, then you will need a captain who knows those waters." She turned to the staircase at the back of her shack and footsteps sounded as someone descended.

Everyone slowly gathered around Tia Dalma to see who it was. Charlie gaped as Hector Barbossa came into view, an apple in his hand. Jack the monkey ran to his master and sat himself on his shoulder.

"Now tell me," he began, "what's become of my ship?" He laughed as he took a bite of his apple, the juices dripping down his chin as he ate with his mouth open.

At the same time, Charlie and Elizabeth launched forward.

"You tried to kill me!" Elizabeth exclaimed, Will reaching out to hold her back and keep a protective arm around her.

"After everything you've done!" Charlie shouted at the same time. She felt someone grab her arm and whirled to let loose on the unfortunate soul. "You know what he's -."

"Aye, Miss, I do," Gibbs muttered. "But ye'll do no good, attacking him here."

"You think you can sail the waters at World's End alone?" Tia Dalma asked, that strange grin of hers firmly in place.

Charlie glanced over at Elizabeth and shook her arm free from Gibbs's grip, then turned back to glare at Barbossa. "I don't trust you," she growled.

Barbossa slowly approached her, then tipped her chin up with one of his filthy nails. "I be not asking ye to."

"Then why should we work with you?" Elizabeth spat.

Jack's former first mate turned slowly to face her. "And what alternative be ye contemplating?"

Will, Elizabeth, Charlie, and Gibbs exchanged looks. None of them were happy about it, but they came to the tacit agreement they needed him.

"This doesn't mean we trust you, Barbossa," Will said menacingly.

Their glaring only ceased when Tia Dalma spoke. "Then we need a map and a ship."

Barbossa looked away first, grinning as he did so. "We'll need to go see Sao Feng, the Pirate Lord of Singapore."

"Singapore?" Gibbs echoed. "Sao Feng is no friend of Jack's."

"I'm not even certain he'd heed the call, knowing Jack could be there," Charlie muttered. "They aren't exactly on friendly terms."

"Be that as it may," Barbossa said, "he's one of the Pirate Lords and bound by honour to gather at the Court."

"Then we go to Singapore," Elizabeth said.

A chorus of agreements rose up, with the exception of Charlie and Gibbs who nodded their assent.

Singapore.


	16. Part 3: In A Way, We're Kind Of A Peace Corps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movies AU, still not mine.
> 
> Big thank yous again to everyone who's been following/reviewing/etc! :)

Charlie took a deep breath. One problem at a time. It was starting to become almost a mantra. She grabbed a grenade and helped Elizabeth hide it in her clothing. They were going to Singapore and Elizabeth would be by herself, so she would need to be ready for anything. Meanwhile, Charlie would be waiting just outside Sao Feng's base along with Tia Dalma. The rest of the crew would make their way inside and spring the trap.

"Remember, they will test you. Be strong. Barbossa will have your back," she said to Elizabeth as she helped to hook a rather sizable dagger into the other woman's shirt. "And if he doesn't, Gibbs, the crew, and I will."

"I'm still not sure I trust Barbossa," Elizabeth muttered. "At least I'll have Will's training."

"The only thing Barbossa has going is that he hasn't betrayed us _yet_. Just remember," she said with a grin, "a good hit between the legs will buy you time to get away if you need it."

Elizabeth turned around and tested all of the weapons she had hidden to ensure they wouldn't fall out at an inopportune time. "Or a sharp blade somewhere vital," she replied with a smirk.

"That too," she agreed, mimicking Elizabeth's expression. Will had gone on his own the day before and would hopefully have the map. All they would need is a ship to get to World's End. A knock at the door signalled that it was time to go. "Good luck."

They both went onto the deck and boarded separate longboats to the shore. Her boat had Tia Dalma, Pintel, Ragetti, Gibbs, and Marty. Elizabeth's boat had Barbossa. They were accompanied each by a few members of their hosts crew, who were to return the longboats after leaving them at the shore.

After they had been left on shore, Charlie and Tia Dalma headed toward town while the others went to the river to covertly enter Sao Feng's hideout. As soon as she split off on her own, she found some clothing on a line and a hat to disguise herself then hid next to the river to await Elizabeth and Barbossa.

It felt strange to only be armed with only a dagger and a pistol, while Gibbs and the crew had her sword wrapped up in a blanket somewhere along the river. She checked that the pin was still in place and took a deep breath.

It was not long before Elizabeth came down the river, singing _Hoist The Colours_. That had been Barbossa's idea. While Elizabeth agreed it was the best course of action, Charlie was still weary the wrong person could be on guard and Elizabeth would wind up dead before she knew it. So she kept her eyes on the rooftops and into the shadows as much as she could.

When Elizabeth docked and was approached by one of Sao Feng's men, Charlie tensed up and watched the scene play out. Barbossa appeared moments later, though, and the group disappeared into the tunnel as a group of British soldiers ran by.

Taking a deep breath, she tried not to think of James as she toyed with the pin in her hair. She continued watching the entrance and the riverway for a while, seeing no movement beyond a few merchants and locals. All was relatively quiet.

Which is why Charlie was not surprised when, about ten minutes after Elizabeth and Barbossa went in, everything went to hell.

East India Trading Company soldiers, Royal Navy officers, and pirates spewed out of all the entrances to Sao Feng's hideout, fighting.

Charlie waited for the soldiers to come nearer, then sprung to her feet and knocked the nearest soldier into the river as she took his sword. "Thanks for that!" she called behind her, jumping into the fray.

Blades flew into her vision and clashed with her own almost faster than she could see who was wielding them. Pistols fired, though Charlie did not have a lot of time to watch whether they were aimed at her as she fought her way toward Elizabeth and Barbossa. All she could do was hope that this massive fight was not indicative of whether they had managed to obtain a ship and the map.

Behind her she heard an explosion, but ignored it and kept fighting through the mass of people.

A sword swung into her view and she blocked it and twirled, locking blades with the wielder.

"Miss LaChance?"

She stared at Lieutenant Groves, gaping like a fish. "Groves?"

He pushed back and away, and they half-heartedly fought to keep up appearances. "The Admiral will be pleased to hear that you're alright!"

Charlie pushed his blade to the side. "The Admiral?" she asked, face scrunched up in confusion.

"Admiral Norrington!" he clarified.

_He survived!_ All at once her heart soared and sank. _He's an Admiral?_ That meant he was working for the East India Trading Company and therefore Cutler Beckett. And he had not even tried to find her, he went straight to Beckett.

She pushed the thought out of her mind and parried his next blow. "I have to go," she muttered, knocking him off his feet.

She ducked, dodged, and parried through the crowd. A loud bang sounded and sparks and flames erupted from one of the shacks, scattering the soldiers and clearing a path. Charlie was grateful to whomever set the fireworks shack aflame for making her life easier.. The crew slowly gathered by the side of the river, out of the way, and she skidded to a halt next to Gibbs. They exchanged a brief nod.

"Where's Sao Feng?" she heard Elizabeth asking.

"He'll cover our escape and meet us at Shipwreck Cove," Will muttered.

One of Sao Feng's men led the way out. They wound their way through the city, through the debris, and flames, and alleys, until they came to a small ship. Quickly and quietly they boarded and slid out of the port.

Behind them Singapore burned.

Sailors all around the deck readied the ship, beginning their perilous journey.

As they sailed away from the burning city, she noticed Elizabeth approaching Tia Dalma. Did Tia Dalma know about James? She followed Elizabeth cautiously, hoping to ask.

"There be something on the seas that even the most staunch and bloodthirsty pirates have come to fear," Tia Dalma muttered, looking out over the sea.

"Davy Jones," Charlie breathed.

Both women turned sharply to look at her, Tia Dalma's eyes afire. "Yes," she began, a grin slowly forming on her face. "And no."

Elizabeth gasped. "Beckett has the heart."

The priestess held Charlie's gaze until Charlie had to look away. That damned heart. She turned away and took a seat near the starboard side of the ship and gazed into the waters as they sailed away.


	17. Part 3: In Which Confusion Becomes Entrenched

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movies AU, still not mine.
> 
> In theory, I'll be finished this around mid-January and I have a follow up story in the works too.
> 
> Big thank yous again to everyone who's been following/reviewing/etc! :)

What snapped Charlie out of the daze she had been in since Singapore was not common sense, but bitter cold. By the time she realised how cold she was, they were well in the thick of it - ice floes and glaciers on all sides, mountainous peaks of white, and snow falling in large pieces. Though she was not sure it would help, she wrapped her arms around her middle for warmth and tried, unsuccessfully, not to shiver. A small consolation came in realising that she had been too lost in thought for tears and therefore had none stuck to her face in rivulets of ice.

Where the hell were they? And did Tia Dalma know the cold they would face and simply not warn them? Out of the corner of her eye, she spied the rubbing her arms for warmth and covered in snow. Maybe she did not know after all. Though it seemed odd she was the only one not shivering, despite her exposed arms.

The box she was sitting on shifted a little as Elizabeth sat down next to her, wrapped in a blanket. She offered to share, and Charlie gratefully accepted.

“I didn’t even realise how cold it had become,” Charlie muttered, nodding her head in thanks.

“You’ve been out of sorts since Singapore.”

A bitter laugh blew past her lips before she could stop it. She shook her head and pulled the blanket closer. “James is alive,” she whispered, clinging tighter to the blanket.

Next to her, Elizabeth stiffened.

“I ran into Lieutenant Groves in Singapore,” Charlie explained. “James is alive and he's an Admiral. Working for Beckett.”

Elizabeth gasped. “He brought the heart to -.”

“No!” Charlie hissed. “No, I am not talking about that.” A shiver ran through her, though she was not sure if it was the cold or the feeling in the pit of her stomach. “You and Will have been distant since….”

A noise that could have been either a laugh or a shiver sounded. “I -.”

“What was he even thinking?” Charlie growled.

“Will?”

“James! He took that damned thing and he had to have -.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “No. I’m not…. Tell me about Will.”

“Well, I -.”

“I just wish I’d known he was such an -. No. Sorry. Will. Tell me.”

Elizabeth laughed a little. “Are you certain?”

She gave her friend a sidelong glance. “Do either of us want to deal with this right now?”

“I’m not even certain what’s wrong with Will and I,” Elizabeth confessed, shrinking into the blanket a little more when Will approached Barbossa at the wheel in front of them.

Charlie leaned a little closer to Elizabeth, suspecting they could both use the warmth and comfort of a friend, so she missed what Will had said to Barbossa. Barbossa’s reply, though, caught her attention.

“Ever gazed upon the green flash, Master Gibbs?” he asked as he rolled up the map.

“I reckon I seen my fair share,” Gibbs replied. “Happens on rare occasion. The last glimpse of sunset, a green flash shoots up into the sky. Some go their whole lives without ever seeing it.” He stepped away from the side of the ship and approached Will. If nothing else, Gibbs certainly had a flair for the dramatic. No wonder he and Jack were friends.

Charlie grinned a little at the thought.

“Some claim to have seen it who ain’t,” he continued. “And some say -.”

“It signals when a soul comes back to this world from the dead!” Pintel interrupted excitedly.

“Is there any truth to that?” Elizabeth muttered.

“Before all this I might have said no, but now?” Charlie replied. “We’re sailing to get Jack back from the dead and the man...James...." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Nothing surprises me now.”

“Trust me, young Master Turner,” Barbossa said. “It’s not getting to the land of the dead that’s the problem.” He took the rudder in hand and pulled. “It’s getting back.”

There was a time when Charlie might have spoken up at that, but right now she was overwhelmed by cold and feelings she could not quite understand. And she had given her word to retrieve Jack, she could not have turned back even if she had been in her right mind.

Instead she pulled the blanket tighter around her and tried not to think about what awaited them both on their journey and in the Locker itself.

Before long the intense cold had vanished and was replaced by a strange nightfall where sea and sky blended seamlessly together. The only signs they were not sailing amongst the stars themselves were the barely visible ripples in the water around the ship as it moved.

Elizabeth had moved to another part of the deck, leaving Charlie alone with her thoughts. Charlie suspected they both wanted time alone. She expelled a breath and stared out over the strange waters. It was eerily silent.

Even the sea itself was devoid of life. No fish, no sharks, no dolphins, no whales, nothing. Not even rocks.

A look around the ship showed her the crew eating together and Barbossa at the rudder, steering them to Davy Jones’ Locker. Whatever that meant. After fighting undead pirates and being attacked by the Kraken and narrowly escaping the attack on Singapore, she supposed it was almost natural they would become comfortable in a way.

Not that she was comfortable.

They were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by unfamiliar stars, setting sail into the unknown, and she was surrounded by people who had tried to kill her at some point. The only exceptions where Elizabeth and Will.

There was no way to escape, either. They were surrounded by nothing.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if this was the purgatory of myth.

And all because the man she cared for had betrayed them and brought the heart of Davy Jones to Lord Cutler Beckett, the worst human being she had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

It was the most discomfort she had felt in a long time.

A sigh escaped her.

At least, she supposed, she was not married to some blowhard man 30 years her senior with bratty children running around screaming. That would have been a worse fate, she was certain.

She smiled a little at the thought. Her father would be livid, if he could see her now.

Looking back at the boat, she saw Elizabeth leaving Will and walking towards her. She also noticed a thin veil of fog had begun to envelope the ship. Where had that come from?

The sound of running broke the silence. Will was rushing toward Barbossa.

Charlie and Elizabeth exchanged a look, before moving to join him.

“Barbossa! Ahead!” he cried, looking back over the side of the ship toward the bow of the ship.

“Aye,” he agreed. “We’re good and lost now!”

_Well, that doesn’t sound good._

“Lost?” Elizabeth asked.

“For certain you have to be lost to find a place as can’t be found,” he replied, smirking. “Elseways, everyone would know where it was.”

Gibbs rushed to the side of the ship and looked towards the bow. “We’re gainin’ speed!”

“Aye!” Barbossa laughed.

Charlie realised the eerie silence had been replaced by a rushing sort of sound. Almost like...a waterfall. Her eyes widened. Oh, she most definitely did not sign up to die in order to find Jack!

“To stations!” Will ordered. “All hands to stations!”

But Charlie was frozen. She willed herself to move to the starboard side of the ship and look ahead. It was nothing but mist and the sound of rushing water. Almost of their own volition, her hands started to shake. Everyone was rushing around the ship, trying to stop their momentum by pulling the ship hard to port, but Charlie could see it would be to no avail. They were too close to the edge. 

Tears began to well up in her eyes, making her vision blurry. She blinked and wiped at the tears, then reached out to grab onto a nearby wooden beam.

What if these were her last moments?

James would never know what had happened to her. She would never see him again. It struck her as odd, in a way, that her last thoughts would be of him. He had betrayed them all. And yet she missed him terribly.

Realisation struck her as the ship hit the edge of the waterfall.

She clung harder to the beam as the ship began to tip over the edge.

 _James_.

And then they were falling into what looked like an endless black pit as she screamed in terror.


	18. Part 3: Repetition Of The Universal Absurdity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movies AU, still not mine.
> 
> In theory, I'll be finished this around mid-January and I have a follow up story in the works too.
> 
> Big thank yous again to everyone who's been following/reviewing/etc! :)

One moment she was falling in oblivion, the next she was floating in water. Strangely clear water.

She blew out some air and followed the bubbles to the surface, gasping for breath as she emerged. All around her the crew were doing the same. Barbossa was just ahead of her, and Will and Elizabeth ahead of him. So she swam toward the shoreline just beyond.

Tia Dalma, she noted, was on the shore already, bone dry and waiting for them.

When she reached the shore, she scrambled out on her hands and knees, laying in the sand for a moment to collect herself. She took deep breaths to calm down. Her mind was racing. Why the hell did she have to realise she was in love with that idiot now?

Another few slow deep breaths and she looked up to see everyone gathering in confusion.

 _No time to deal with that right now_.

She pushed aside all thoughts of James and joined the group just in time to hear Tia Dalma say, "Witty Jack is closer than you think."

At that exact moment, the sails of _The Black Pearl_ appeared over the nearest dune as the ship herself crested over it and rolled down toward the sea.

"Jack!" Charlie breathed, seeing him stood atop the mast. A grin broke that threatened to split her face clear in two.

"Boat," Ragetti said as he pointed at _The Black Pearl_ , clever as ever.

"Ship," Gibbs corrected. "Slap me thrice and hand me to me momma. It's Jack!"

Charlie grinned at him, then turned to watch Jack leap down from where he stood on the mast and board a longboat to join them on the shore.

The crew shouted for joy as he jumped out of the boat and they ran to him in excitement. It was infectious and Charlie could not help but follow. She ran out ahead of the crew and reached Jack first, throwing her arms around his neck and laughing happily.

He slung her to his side and, with an arm around her waist, called out, "Mr Gibbs!"

"Aye, captain!"

"I thought so," he muttered, looking strangely between Gibbs and Charlie. "I expect you're able to account for your actions, then."

Gibbs looked at Charlie, then back to Jack, "Sir?"

Charlie disentangled herself from Jack and looked up at him. "Jack?"

He met her eyes, then looked back at Gibbs, "There's been a perpetual and virulent lack of discipline upon my vessel. Why? Why is that, sir?"

"Sir," Gibbs began, "you're…."

The pieces clicked into place for Charlie and it began to make sense. He did not realise where he was. "Jack, you're in the Locker."

Jack looked at Gibbs, who nodded in agreement, then looked around nervously. "I know that. I know where I am. And don't think I don't." All the vigor had drained from his voice as he half-heartedly berated them both. It was evident the Locker had taken its toll on him.

Barbossa took the opportunity to interrupt, "Jack Sparrow!"

"Hector!" he greeted him gleefully, arms spread wide in welcome. "Been too long, hasn't it?"

"Aye," his former first mate agreed. "Isla de Muerta, remember? Ya shot me."

"No I didn't!" Jack protested with a smile. And he continued along the line of crew and friends. "Tia Dalma! Out and about, eh?"

She grinned anxiously at him.

"You add an agreeable sense of the macabre to any delirium."

"He thinks we're a hallucination." So Will had finally caught on, it seemed.

With a bare minimum of patience radiating from every fibre of his being, he approached young Will. "William, tell me something: Have you come because you need me to save a certain distressing damsel…or rather, damsel in distress? Either one."

Unsuccessfully, Charlie tried to mask her laugh with a cough, only to receive a glare from Jack. She shrugged an apology that she clearly did not mean and hid her grin behind her hand.

"No," Will said, bringing Jack's attention back to him.

"Well, then, you wouldn't be here, now would you? Therefore you can't be here, Q.E.D., you're not really here."

 _At least Jack's vocabulary hasn't suffered in the Locker_ , Charlie thought with a quiet snort of laughter.

"Jack," Elizabeth called out to him. "This is real. We're here."

There was something not quite right in Jack's reaction to Elizabeth. Where there was flirtation, there was now distrust and...was that fear? Revulsion? Charlie furrowed her brows as Jack walked back towards her and Gibbs.

He pulled them both into a huddle and asked, "the Locker, you say?"

"Aye," Gibbs confirmed as Charlie nodded.

"We've come to rescue you," Elizabeth called out.

Jack frowned, then turned back toward her. "Have you now? That's a good one, very kind." He clasped his hands and walked the length of the assembled crew. "But it would seem that as I possess a ship and you don't, you're the ones in need of rescuing and I'm not sure I'm in the mood."

"Jack!" Charlie scolded.

Before she could continue, though, Barbossa interrupted and pointed at the _Pearl_ , "I see my ship, right there."

Jack walked back to Barbossa and squinted into the distance, shielding his eyes and looking around in an exaggerated manner only Jack Sparrow could pull off. "Can't spot it," he muttered, still looking around. "Must be a tiny little thing hiding somewhere behind the _Pearl_."

That was enough childishness for Charlie. "Before you start measuring," she muttered, stepping up. "Jack, Beckett has the heart."

He started and looked at her, searching her eyes. "And how'd that come to be, I wonder…." The comment was quiet enough she was certain nobody else had heard it.

Holding back a slap, she mumbled, "you know what this means."

"He controls the _Flying Dutchman_ ," Will added.

Elizabeth stepped up next to Will. "He's taking over the seas."

And Tia Dalma added, "The song has been sung. The Brethren Court is called."

Jack reeled back a little. "The Brethren Court," he grumbled. A little louder he continued, "I leave you lot alone for just a minute and look what happens!"

"Aye, Jack," Gibbs put in. "The world needs you back something fierce."

"And you need a crew," Will added.

The grin on Jack's face did not reach his eyes. "And why should I sail with any of you?" he asked, looking at Will, Barbossa, Pintel, and Ragetti. "Four of you have tried to kill me." He looked at Elizabeth. "One of you succeeded."

"What?" Charlie gasped. Will looked just as shocked. "Jack, you can't mean -."

"I can mean," he replied, then looked back to Elizabeth. "You haven't told them, then?" he asked, his grin turning into a smirk.

She gaped in response.

"Well, then, you'll have plenty to talk about while you're here!" he added a little too cheerfully. He then continued down the line inviting and declining the rest as he went.

Charlie did not really hear what he was saying, though, as she stared at Elizabeth, hoping her friend would tell her it was not true and just a delusion caused by the Locker. Elizabeth, though, would not meet her eyes.

"Charlie!" Jack's voice broke through. "Time to go!"

She walked backward toward him, still hoping Elizabeth would deny it. When she reached Jack he was fiddling with the compass.

"Problem?" she whispered, finally turning away from Elizabeth to look at Jack.

"Which one would you like me to start with?" he scoffed.

"Oh, Jack!" Barbossa called. When they looked back at him he was smirking. "Which way you going?"

"You weren't going to leave them here," she muttered. "Barbossa and the idiots, maybe."

He grunted and flipped the compass closed. "Don't have much choice, do I?"

* * *

Charlie spent most of the day in the first mate's cabin alone with her thoughts. The childish bickering between Jack and Barbossa had been driving her insane. When the pair divided the ship and made Jack the captain of the port side and Barbossa the captain of the starboard side, she had had enough and sought out solitude. By now, with night time creeping in, she had hoped they had calmed down, so she emerged from the cabin and found a quiet spot on the deck to look out over the water. Again, there appeared to be no life in the sea - not a single creature as far as the eye could see.

When she did look onto the deck instead of out over the water, she would see Elizabeth and Will pretending not to look at one another, and Barbossa and Jack still acting like children.

Her gaze went back to the water and she thought about everything that had happened. Where to even begin to process it all? She was in love with the man who had betrayed them all, the woman she thought was her friend had killed the man who was like a brother to her. Two people she had trusted turned out to be untrustworthy. And that was knowledge she had gained in less than a day. What the hell would be next?

She blew out a breath and rubbed at her eyes before looking back up at the sea again. This time she saw shades of white in the water, floating hauntingly under the surface of the water. Their eyes were closed and their arms and legs moved with the waves.

The sound of giggling behind her brought her attention back to the deck as Pintel and Ragetti ran with cannonballs in their arms to the rails. Before she could chide them, Tia Dalma appeared and glared at the pair, who immediately dropped the cannonballs.

"Be disrespectful, it would," Pintel muttered by way of apology.

Charlie rolled her eyes. _Idiots._

"They should be in the care of Davy Jones," Tia Dalma spat out, turning to look back at the lost souls. "That was the duty him was charged with by the goddess Calypso: to ferry those who die at sea to the other side. And every ten years, him could come ashore to be with she who love him. Truly." She turned back to glare at the pair again, then back to the sea. "But the man has become a monster."

"You mean he wasn't always tentacle-y?" Ragetti asked.

Charlie rolled her eyes again, then descended to the main deck to lean over the rail. If she were being honest, part of her hoped to see one of the two float past her after Tia Dalma knocked them overboard. Nobody would have blamed her.

Gibbs came up beside her with a rifle as the sea of bodies gave way to a fleet of small boats with lanterns.

Will and Tia Dalma rushed toward him as Charlie reached out to push the rifle down with a shake of her head.

"They're not a threat to us," Will muttered, looking at Tia Dalma. "Am I right?"

"We are nothing but ghosts to them," she replied sadly.

Suddenly it seemed the entire crew lined the rails to get a glimpse of the shades.

"Best just leave them be," Barbossa said, more somber than he had been the entire trip.

After Isla de Muerta, it seemed likely to Charlie that it was all too familiar to him. She saw Gibbs tighten his grip on the rifle as the ships surrounded the _Pearl_. There were so many ships that a person could walk from one to the other fairly easily and cross the vast waters around them.

"My father!" Elizabeth's excited voice rang out down the railing. Charlie started and followed Elizabeth's gaze to see Governor Swann in one of the small boats. "We've made it back! Father, here! Look here!"

She saw Jack approach her, looking grim, and mutter something to her that seemed to confuse her. Suddenly she turned back to the water and screamed in anguish, "Father!"

The Governor glanced over, seeming to have just heard her cries. "Elizabeth? Are you dead?"

She shook her head, "No."

"Oh. I think I am?" He stared around, as though trying to recall something.

"No, you can't be. James wouldn't let that happen!"

"James?" He furrowed his brow. "Admiral Norrington! No, I don't think he knows?" The man seemed genuinely confused, as though he had to struggle to retrieve his own memories. "He's a good man. There was a chest. And...and a heart. I tried to stab it. He stopped me. Stab the heart, take his place. The _Dutchman_ must have a captain. He's a good man, Admiral Norrington. He'll do the right thing."

"No," Elizabeth muttered, running down the length of the ship to keep pace with his boat. "No, come aboard! Someone, cast a line! Come back with us!"

Charlie did not see who threw the rope, but it fell limply in the Governor's boat.

"Elizabeth," he said, sadly. "I should have recognised in your willfulness your courage. I am very proud of you."

"The line! Grab the line!" she shouted desperately, as the rope began to slide away from the boat. "Father!"

By now Elizabeth was hysterical and half the boat had followed her to the stern, with Tia Dalma shouting, "She must not leave the ship!"

Will burst forward and pulled her back off the railing just as her father shouted, "I'll give your love to your mother, shall I?" and faded into the darkness.

Charlie and Jack were alone on the deck as the rest comforted Elizabeth. "He's a good man," she whispered, repeating Governor Swann's words as she crossed to the other side of the ship to lean on the rail.

"You alright, love?" Jack asked, coming to stand beside her.

She shook her head. "No. You heard what the Governor said. He's a good man. If he's so damned good, why did he take the bloody heart? And why is working for Beckett? He must see Beckett for what he is!"

"I wish I had the answers for you, darling."

"No you don't," Charlie laughed. "The only answer you wish you had is the one that would make me stop -." She cut herself off. It was one thing to think it, another to say it out loud.

"That's still an answer, though," he muttered. "Better than nothing, aye?"

Charlie shook her head and snorted a laugh, then leaned her head on his shoulder. When he made a childish noise in response she rolled her eyes and muttered, "Jack, shut up and just put your damned arm around me." After some hesitation he finally complied. It was an awkward, brotherly comfort that only Jack could provide, but she took it. "Thank you."

"Eugh," he replied, making her chuckle.

"Will you tell me what happened with Elizabeth?" she prompted.

"What's to tell?" he casually muttered. "Little minx kissed me, then shackled me to the mast and took off."

Charlie blinked. "Well, that should've alerted you, Jack, really. Did you think she'd fallen madly in love with you suddenly when her whole journey was to rescue young William?"

He made a non-committal noise.

She shook her head, still leaning against his shoulder, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes. "Have you forgiven her?"

She felt him shrug. "Haven't decided yet. On one hand, that bloody Locker…. On the other hand, she did save you and Gibbs, and I've grown to tolerate you both over the years."

Again, she snorted a laugh. Only Jack could admit to caring for someone in such a way. Then it hit her. Up to that point she had assumed Elizabeth had done it for purely selfish reasons. But she had saved half a dozen people that day. It was not a move Charlie would ever have done herself, but did that reason alone make it forgivable in the long run? She did not have the answer.

"Jack?"

He grunted in reply.

"I hate waterfalls. If the way back is another waterfall, I'm leaving you here."

* * *

Time passed strangely in the Locker. Before she even realised much time had gone by, it was suddenly nearing sunset. From where she sat on the deck, leaning back against a barrel, Charlie had a good view of all but the quarterdeck. All around her, the crew sat and lay in misery. All of their supplies had been consumed and they were running out of time to find a way back.

Tia Dalma walked past Charlie and leaned against the rail next to Will. "If we cannot escape these doldrums before night fall, I fear we will sail on trackless seas, doomed to roam the reach between worlds forever."

Gibbs walked up beside her. "With no water, forever looks to be arriving a mite too soon."

Gibbs and Will walked away from the railing, muttering about sunrise and sunsets, and Charlie stopped listening. She had heard it all before. They had been muttering about it for hours and they were still roaming lifeless seas in the middle of nowhere.

Jack was sat at a table by himself, playing with the map Barbossa had provided and muttering to himself.

If someone did not work out that map soon, Charlie was certain she would go mad. Ragetti chasing the monkey around for his wooden eye was not helping. She was tempted to stick her leg out and trip him just for something to do. A giggle bubbled out of her at the thought.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tia Dalma staring at her and had the impression that the woman knew exactly what she had been thinking.

Suddenly, Jack sprang to his feet and she thought she heard him say 'up' before he ran to the rail. "What's that?" Gibbs and Will joined him and Charlie watched curiously from where she was seated. "Over there! What _is_ that? I don't know, what do you think?"

"Where?" Gibbs asked.

"There!" Jack let out a short scream then ran to the other side of the boat. "There! It moved! It's very fast."

More crew members joined him at the starboard railing, then he made a strange noise and ran back to port. Charlie slowly pushed to her feet to watch.

"There! Over there!" Jack exclaimed. He looked back at Charlie and gestured for her to join him. When she did, he screamed again, then ran to the other side.

She followed him and felt the ship start to rock in the water, and she started to get the feeling she would hate this plan. At least it was not another waterfall. When Elizabeth joined them, Charlie made sure to keep herself on the other side of Jack. Barbossa was the last one to join them, first ordering those within the ship to let loose the cannons and any other paraphernalia to allow the ship to rock further. The only exceptions were Pintel and Ragetti who, for some reason, had tied themselves upside down to the mast.

The ship rocked and swayed until finally it rocked far up on one side, forcing everyone to grab hold of the nearest part of the ship as it rolled over, plunging everyone into the water. Everyone dangled under the ship, some clinging to ropes and the sails, some clinging to the ship itself, and they waited.

All at once the water below rushed up and the ship was righted, causing them all to fall back down to the deck with an unceremonious _thud!_

All around her everyone got to their feet and looked around, almost in disbelief.

Then at the same time Jack, Barbossa, Gibbs, Will, and Elizabeth drew their pistols on each other.

"You have got to be joking," Charlie muttered.

"Alright, then," Barbossa muttered. "The Brethren Court is a-gathering at Shipwreck Cove. Jack, you and I be going there and there's no arguing the point."

"I is arguing the point," Jack countered. "If there's pirates a-gathering, I'm a-pointing the other a-way!"

Charlie pushed to her feet and shook off some of the water, then stalked toward the group. "Oi!" she shouted. "What, Jack doesn't want to go and doesn't have an heir, so the best plan you've got is to shoot him?"

Jack grinned smugly.

"And you!" she rounded on him. "How's ignoring the problem been working for you thus far?"

"If we don't stand together," Barbossa interrupted, "they'll hunt us down one by one til there's none left but you."

Charlie bit out a curse. She hated that she actually agreed with Barbossa. The argument picked up again from there so she shouted, drew her own pistol, and fired into the air.

Only instead of a deafening shot, a soft _click_ sounded. The others turned to her, then back to each other, and tried their own guns.

"Wet powder," Gibbs muttered.

She cast a glance skyward and expelled a breath. It was not the resolution she was aiming for, but it would do. At least nobody had their guns out.

Barbossa and the others walked away and Charlie noticed Jack glaring at his back. She took the opportunity to slide in beside him. "You know full well you can't run."

"I most certainly can run," he muttered back.

"That's helped how so far?"

"Still working on it, love." They followed the others to the quarterdeck, leaving Pintel and Ragetti shouting after them about using the guns as clubs.


	19. Part 3: The Original Snub

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movies AU, still not mine.
> 
> One more chapter til the reunion.
> 
> Big thank yous again to everyone who's been following/reviewing/etc! :)

Everyone gathered around Will, who laid a chart out on a crate. They needed a next step that did not involve everyone just shooting each other and hoping for the best. Charlie was almost grateful their pistols were waterlogged. She was certain the idiots would have killed themselves otherwise.

"There's a fresh water spring on this island, where we can resupply," he said, pointing to a small piece of land on the map.

Jack righted himself and grinned at Barbossa. "Right, you lead the shore party, I'll stay with the ship."

"I'll not be leaving my ship in your command," Barbossa grumbled.

"Why don't you both go ashore," Will suggested, "and leave the ship in my command." They both glared at him. "Temporarily."

"I'll stay behind too," Charlie sighed, hoping to appease them.

"What makes you think I'll be trusting you anymore than I be trusting Jack?" Barbossa sneered.

"Because as fond as I am of both of you at the moment," she began, "I'm less fond of Cutler Beckett. And you're both needed for the Brethren Court to convene and stop him."

"I will stay as well," Tia Dalma said.

Charlie had no idea why that seemed to appease Barbossa, but it did. And that felt dangerous. She watched as both men walked to the rail and gazed toward the island with their telescopes. Jack had extended his to be comically long compared to Barbossa. _Men,_ she thought, shaking her head and grinning.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Elizabeth smirking at the display too and sighed. At least, she supposed, everyone going ashore would be a good time for her to talk to Elizabeth. She was not sure she was ready to forgive her, but she knew she could not avoid her forever.

Standing on the quarterdeck and gazing out over the ship as they sailed closer to the island, Charlie tried to plan what she would say to Elizabeth. How, exactly, should a conversation like that go? It was not as though there was common social etiquette for 'you killed the man who is like a brother to me, but now he is alive again and I am not sure if I trust you'. When the hell did this become her life?

It was not long before Jack, Barbossa, and a handful of others, including some of Tai Huang's crew, set off for the small island. When the longboats were away, she caught Elizabeth's eye and signalled to Jack's dining cabin.

The look on Elizabeth's face showed her that this was a topic neither of them was looking forward to discussing.

As soon as they were inside, Charlie shut the door and turned to Liz. "I have no idea how to approach this, but we can't avoid each other forever." She took a deep breath, not looking at her former friend. "You killed Jack," she said, her voice breaking a little on his name.

Elizabeth nodded. "I...it was after him, not all of us."

"You didn't even try to find an alternate solution?"

"There wasn't time. The Kraken -."

"The Kraken what? Who else would you be willing to sacrifice? Would you have sacrificed Will?"

Elizabeth opened her mouth to reply, then froze.

"I suppose that's the difference between us, then," she concluded, crossing her arms around her middle. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to forgive you and I know I'm not ready to trust you, but I know we need to work together for now. Barbossa and Jack…."

"Might kill one another?" Elizabeth supplied helpfully.

"One can only hope," she grumbled in return.

Elizabeth smirked, then froze and looked past Charlie to the door and the deck beyond. Before she could turn, she heard chaos erupting. Pistols firing, steel clashing, men shouting.

Both of them ran back to the deck, only to be stopped by the men Sao Feng had supplied and taken captive.

Charlie tried to free herself from the man pinning her arms behind her back, but could not. She was forced, with Elizabeth, along the deck to where Sao Feng waited. All around men cheered for their victory. Out on the water, she could see the longboats returning, and next to the _Pearl_ Sao Feng's ship had come to a stop.

A few minutes later, Barbossa came up over the side of the ship, followed by Jack, who hovered behind Barbossa, trying to make himself look as small as possible.

"Sao Feng," Barbossa drawled. "You showing up here, 'tis truly a remarkable coincidence."

The Pirate Lord of Singapore ignored Barbossa and grinned. "Jack Sparrow. You paid me great insult once."

"Only once?" Charlie snorted.

At the same time, Jack muttered, "That doesn't sound like me."

The man behind her cuffed the back of her head in response almost perfectly in time with Sao Feng punching Jack in the nose. "Ow." She was not sure if she meant her own pain or Jack's.

"Shall we just call it square, then?" Jack moaned, holding his nose.

Will burst through the crowd and Charlie furrowed her brow. Why was he not being held by Sao Feng's men? "Release her!" he demanded, pointing to Elizabeth who looked just as shocked as Charlie felt. "She's not part of the bargain."

That made Jack stand upright, though he still held his nose.

"And what bargain be that?" Barbossa asked.

Sao Feng looked around, smiling. "You heard Captain Turner! Release her."

" _Captain_ Turner?" she, Jack, and Barbossa asked at the same time.

One of the men nearby removed Elizabeth's bonds.

Gibbs pushed ahead as much as he could, with his arms held by their captors. "Aye! The perfidious rotter led a mutiny against us!"

"It's always the quiet ones," Jack muttered.

"I need the _Pearl_ to free my father. That's the only reason I came on this voyage."

Elizabeth looked shocked as she stalked toward Will, free. "Why didn't you tell me you were planning this?" she gasped.

"It wasn't your burden to bear," he replied without looking at her.

Charlie was certain it was a dig, by the looks on their faces.

" _He_ needs the _Pearl_ ," Jack groused. " _Captain Turner_ needs the _Pearl._ " He looked at Elizabeth. "And you felt guilty." Then back to Barbossa and Charlie. "And you and your Brethren Court!"

"Don't lump me in with _him_!" she protested.

He snorted a laugh. "Did no one come to save me just because they missed me?" he asked the ship, arms spread wide.

Marty, Pintel, and Ragetti raised their hands, and Jack pointed at them with a huge grin plastered on his face. Even Jack the monkey raised his hand.

"Oh for the love of…," Charlie muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I'm standing over there with them," Jack announced petulantly.

Sao Feng grabbed Jack from behind and pulled him into an embrace that was also half choke hold. "I'm sorry, Jack," he muttered. "But there is an old friend who wants to see you first."

She didn't hear Jack's reply, but when Sao Feng dragged him to the rail on the opposite side of the boat she fought against her bonds before she noticed what they were looking at. Another ship sailed into view, bearing the logo of the East India Trading Company.

"Beckett," Charlie breathed.

There was little she could do as the ship sailed up next to the _Pearl_ and the gangplanks linked the two ships. She watched as Jack was dragged away by Beckett's men.

Some of Beckett's men, including a man named Mercer, stayed on the _Pearl_. Everything about Mercer made Charlie uncomfortable. He was the type of man a woman feared running into in a dark alley. If he had not fallen in with Beckett, Charlie was certain he would be murdering women in the streets of London for fun.

The men put Will and Elizabeth in shackles and Sao Feng smirked.

"You agreed the ship was to be mine!" Will protested.

"I did not agree for how long," Sao Feng returned. "My men are crew enough!" he shouted to Mercer as he made his way to him.

Whatever Mercer replied, Sao Feng did not like it. If looks could kill, Mercer would be dead a thousand times over. He had not even displayed that much hatred looking at Jack.

Barbossa slid up next to Sao Feng. "It's a shame they're not bound to honour the Code of the Brethren, isn't it? Honour's a hard thing to come by nowadays."

"There is no honour in remaining with the losing side. Leaving it for the winning side? That's just good business," the Pirate Lord shot back, eye twitching with barely restrained anger.

"The losing side, you say?" Barbossa asked, eyebrows raised.

What was he up to? There was so much subversion and deception, Charlie was not sure she could continue to keep up. It was truly dizzying.

"They have the _Dutchman_ ," Sao Feng replied. "And now the _Pearl_! What do the Brethren have?"

"We have Calypso."

Charlie felt all her breath rush out of her lungs. This was a bad idea. Even if they did have Calypso, how well could Barbossa possibly think this would end. Ignoring the two men for a moment, she tried to catch Gibbs's eye. Did he know what Barbossa was up to?

No, the man seemed just as lost as she was.

Now Sao Feng was leering at Elizabeth as he spoke with Barbossa, and Charlie tensed. She had seen that look before. Whatever he was planning, whatever he was thinking, it would not be great for Elizabeth.

When she came back to the conversation she heard Barbossa ask him, "what be you accepting?"

Sao Feng looked once again at Elizabeth before replying, "the girl."

"What?" Elizabeth, Will, Charlie, and Gibbs all gasped simultaneously.

"No, no," Barbossa said, though he clearly did not mean it. "Out of the question."

"It was not a question."

Before the negotiation could continue, Elizabeth stepped forward. "Done."

Will struggled against his captors. "What? Not done!"

She rounded on him and said, "You've put us into this situation, if this is what frees us, then so be it!"

Charlie began working her hands free from her bonds and slid inconspicuously to the side of the ship Sao Feng's ship was on. If Elizabeth was going with him, she was going to follow. Nobody deserved the fate she had in store and she deserved at least one ally on that ship. She slid to the back of the crowd of Sao Feng's men slowly.

When all hell broke loose, she knocked one of the men unconscious and stole his hat, sliding her own jacket off. She then followed Sao Feng's men back to his ship as they fought off Mercer and his soldiers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I particularly enjoyed writing Charlie getting cuffed at the same time Jack was punched. I don't know why. Don't judge me. Or do. Whatever.


	20. Part 3: I Beseech You To Lift A Heavy Burden From My Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movies AU, still not mine.
> 
> And we're here :) Oh, look, he's not dead now!
> 
> Big thank yous again to everyone who's been following/reviewing/etc!

Charlie adjusted the dress as inconspicuously as possible. How did the women in Sao Feng’s crew even wear these things? There was no room for underthings and Neptune’s beard they were tight! She barely had room to store the daggers she was carrying, let alone anything else. 

As she and another woman followed one of a pair of pirates down a hall, carrying a dress meant for Elizabeth, she tried to memorise the layout. If they were going to escape, they would need it. Escape to where, she still had not figured out. But that would be a problem she dealt with when they came to it.

They eventually arrived at an ornate room where Elizabeth waited alone. She turned when the door opened and Charlie looked up and signalled to her to stay quiet. While she and the other woman were helping Elizabeth dress, she slipped her the dagger. 

The other woman left to retrieve a headpiece for the outfit and Charlie took the opportunity. “If he makes us leave, I’ll stay close by. Be ready.”

“Why are you helping me? I thought -.”

“Our differences aside, nobody deserves whatever it is he has planned for you.”

Elizabeth closed her jaw, then nodded. “How’d you even get on the ship?”

Charlie just grinned in response.

At that moment, the other woman returned and they fastened the headpiece on Elizabeth. Charlie fussed with the dress and kept her head down, angling her hair to cover her face, as Sao Feng entered the room.

He clapped his hands to signal to her and the other woman to leave, and Charlie bit back on the impulse to slap him as she bowed and meekly followed the other woman out. When they reached the top of the stairs, she gestured for the other woman to go first and followed behind for a moment before ducking into an alcove. 

Unfortunately she was not fast enough.

Someone grabbed her from behind, arm around her throat, choking her.

“Did you think I would not notice,” Tai Huang spat in her ear. He pushed her forward, barking an order to his men, who grabbed her by the arms and dragged her backward outside and up a set of stairs, around the side of the ship, and down another set of stairs.

The second they reached the bottom of those stairs, the ship lurched and cannonfire sounded. Charlie kicked out at one of her attackers and took his sword. The other man attacked her and she managed to disarm him after a few minutes. The first pirate had disappeared up the stairs at some point during the fight.

Charlie ran up stairs only to be greeted by a pair of East India Trading Company soldiers. She dropped her sword and raised her hands in surrender. It was clear she would not beat them, not when the ship sounded as though it were overrun.

As they walked along the side of the ship the sounds of fighting died down, and a voice sounded clear ahead.

“Is she alright?”

Her heart leapt into her throat. “James?” she whispered.

“I suppose we’ll find out soon enough,” Elizabeth’s voice replied.

Charlie wriggled her way out of the soldiers’ grip and ran toward the voices, ignoring the men shouting after her to stop.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she froze.

James stood there in uniform, looking up at her and seeming just as shocked as she was. As much as she hated that he was working for the East India Trading Company and Beckett, she had to admit he looked good.

When the men caught up to her and tried to grab her, she pushed them away and descended the stairs toward James, who waved the men off.

They stood frozen, no more than a few feet apart.

It was James who finally broke the silence. “Take the others to the brig. Have her brought to my quarters,” he ordered one of the nearby soldiers without taking his eyes from hers.

It took her a moment to remember his face, but she eventually recognised Lieutenant Gillette as he stepped up. “But sir, she -.”

“Is a known associate of Jack Sparrow’s, Mr Gillette,” he finished.

“Admiral, she -.”

“Enough, Mr Gillette,” he barked, turning a glare on him. “Ensure the others are locked safely in the brig.”

Gillette nodded curtly, then turned to take Elizabeth and Sao Feng’s crew away.

James nodded to a nearby soldier. “Take her to my quarters, Master Littleton.”

When he turned away to survey the rest of the ship, she finally remembered to breathe. That was the second time he had stolen her breath with no more than a look and it unsettled her. Mostly because she did not know where they stood. Had he used her? Did he miss her as much as she missed him?

She shook her head to clear it and allowed herself to be led across the gangplank to _The Flying Dutchman_.

* * *

After spending the better part of the following day in awkward silence with a guard, James finally came in and demanded the guard unchain her and hand over the keys. Charlie was staring out the window, unsure of what to expect. After she was unchained, she heard the guard say something to James on his way out, though she did not really hear what was said. All of her focus was on calming the sensations in the pit of her stomach - fear, excitement, happiness, worry.

The door closed somewhere behind her and she kept staring out the window, afraid to turn around.

“Charlotte?” When she did not turn or speak, he continued, “Is the damage I’ve done irreparable?” 

She felt the wetness on her cheek before she even realised she had shed a tear. The worst part was she was feeling so many things at once, she could not pinpoint why she was crying. Subtly, she reached up to wipe at the tears.

Behind her, she heard him swear softly, followed by a creak of wood. In the glass, she saw him sitting on the edge of a table. “I knew,” he muttered. “Almost the moment I saw Jones and his ship in Port Royal, I knew I’d made a mistake. I should’ve known sooner.” Another creak of wood. “Christ, Charlotte, I…. Every damned time Beckett had me survey the aftermath of one of Jones’s attacks, I was terrified I’d see your body. I had hope for the first time when Groves told me he’d seen you in Singapore.” He paused and sighed. “That damned compass. You asked me what it showed once. Nothing. It spun, directionless. I thought getting my commission back would fix that, but it only sent me on a worse path. And now you’re here and -.”

The silence stretched and just as she was about to prompt him, he continued, “I should have told you ages ago, though I’m not even sure when it happened or when I knew. I love you.”

Once again James Norrington had stolen her breath. Her jaw hung open for a few moments before she turned to face him. He was looking at a spot on the ground, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “After Singapore,” she began, smiling a little when his head snapped up in surprise, “we went to rescue Jack from the Locker. The Kraken...it took him and the _Pearl_. We had to...we sailed through the coldest cold I’ve ever felt. And at the end of it, there was a waterfall with no bottom. We tumbled over the edge. I was terrified. And all I could think of was you, James.” She took a deep breath. “I realised in that moment that I love you too.”

His jaw worked open and shut a few times.

Charlie was not sure who had moved first, but one moment they were staring awkwardly at one another, the next she was backed up against the hull, her legs around his middle, her arms around his neck, and his mouth fused to hers. It was not harsh or demanding, this kiss was all relief. Her back slid slightly against the wet, rotting wood of the ship and she pulled back a little to rest her forehead on his shoulder and muffle her hysterical laughter against his chest.

“Charlotte?” His voice wavered a little. “Have I...have I done something wrong?”

She shook her head as she lifted it to look him in the eyes. “No,” she laughed. “It’s...look around. We’re on _The Flying Dutchman_. Hardly the most romantic setting.”

He chuckled a little and let her slide down to stand on her own two feet, while keeping his arms around her waist. “I suppose not.”

“I’m not complaining,” she muttered.

The grin she received in return was infectious.

“I thought you’d be more upset,” he murmured.

She shook her head. “I am upset, but I can be mad at you later. If we survive.”

His hands slid up her arms to grab her wrists and bring them down, holding her hands between them. “I need you to trust me, Charlotte.”

“Always,” she replied, without hesitation.

It was cute the way his jaw worked in surprise, and it made her giggle.

“I trusted you when you were about to take me to the gallows, no reason I should trust you less now.”

“Plenty of reasons, darling,” he muttered, bending down to softly kiss her hands.

“No,” she said, sliding her hands out of his and reaching up to stroke his jaw, his hands settling around her waist. “You’re a fool, but you’re _my_ fool.”

With a grin, he shook his lowered head and said, "I don't deserve you." Mid-shake his head stopped, his gaze settling right around her decolletage.

“My eyes are up here,” she teased, dropping her hand to toy with the fabric of his shirt.

“Where on Earth did you get this?” he murmured, sliding a hand to trace from the collar of the dress downward.

“Is now really the time for questions about my dress?” she asked.

He finally looked up at her and quirked an eyebrow.

“Alright, my stolen dress.”

The smirk she had grown to love slid into place, then he glanced downward again, and back up to the door, hesitating.

“They’ve already seen me, James,” she laughed.

He grunted in reply.

“James,” she said, forcing him to look back at her. “Are you going to put me in chains or not?”

The sound of his soft laughter as he stepped back to fetch the irons made her grin. To think mere hours ago she had been afraid of what the day would bring. She could only imagine how ridiculous they looked - in the middle of the most feared ship on the seas, grinning like idiots at one another while James put her in chains. “Ready?”

She pulled him down for a quick kiss, then nodded. “Yes.”

James snapped upright and became Admiral Norrington once again, leading her down to the brig. The journey was blissfully quiet. No interruptions, no soldiers questioning where they were going. When they made it to the brig, he ushered her inside and swiftly removed her chains, then moved to the cell to release Elizabeth and her crew. Charlie, in the meantime, pushed a nearby barrel in front of the door.

“Where’s Charlie?” she heard Elizabeth ask.

“Here,” she replied, coming to stand next to James.

“Quickly now,” he muttered, waving his hands in the direction of a nearby port window.

Elizabeth nodded at the crew and they filed out, with Elizabeth following last. “My father said you were a good man. That you’d do the right thing,” she said. “Thank you.”

He nodded once and ushered her and Charlie to the window. He pushed it open and slid out, hopping onto a ledge, then held his hand out to Charlie to follow. She tried not to look down as she followed him along the hull. “I hate this plan,” she whispered at him.

“Just keep close, I’m here.”

When they reached the deck, he jumped down first and held his arms out to help her down. She slid shakily into his arms and held on for longer than necessary until she stopped trembling. Together, they ushered the crew onto the towline, where they crossed back to the _Empress._

“I have no idea how you expect me to cross that towline!” she hissed at him.

Elizabeth jumped down last, nodding her thanks as she passed them and jumped up to the line.

“I’ll be with you every inch,” he said, hopping up onto the rail and leaning down to offer his hand.

Allowing herself to be pulled up, she curled into him, arms around his waist, as she stared down at the water below.

“Don’t look there, look at me,” he whispered, bringing his hand up to her chin to force her to look away from the fall.

“Bit too late for that.” She brought her eyes up to his and fought to stop the shaking. _Whose idea was it to make ships so bloody tall?_ It was one thing to be behind a rail on a safe and well-constructed ship, it was another thing entirely to be standing atop said rail in the dark of night on a ship with slimy, rotted wood. “You’re not bleeding anywhere, right? If we fall into the water, we’re not going to attract sharks?”

James laughed a little in reply.

“Who goes there?” a voice called from the deck above.

James looked down at her, then at the line, and swore.

“No,” she gasped, shaking her head. She knew exactly what he was thinking - they did not have time to get across now. That meant jumping and hoping like hell there were no sharks, hoping like hell they would catch the _Empress_ as she drifted away from the _Dutchman._

“I need you to trust me.” Drawing his pistol, he fired at the towline, snapping it with a single shot.

If she were not so worried, Charlie would have been impressed. As it was, she bit back a scream as he scooped her up in his arms and jumped away from the ship into the dark sea below.


	21. Part 3: The Breeze Of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not mine, AU.
> 
> So, this chapter is why I upped the rating to M, lol.
> 
> Special thanks to Spee for reviewing before I posted :)

Not long after, she and James were safely in a small cabin aboard the _Empress_ with a pile of thick, warm blankets in the corner and a tiny bed along the hull. She watched James as he stripped off his jacket and hung it on a hook to dry, still in disbelief that they had gotten away from Davy Jones safely. After they had climbed on deck, he had warned Elizabeth that there may be a spy amongst the Brethren Court. That, she supposed, was as good a reason as any to let them get away. Jones probably suspected he would catch them regardless.

“Are you alright?” she asked. He had not moved since hanging the jacket.

James huffed a humourless laugh. “All my life the Royal Navy was held up as the most noble thing a man could do.” He reached out to toy with one of the sleeves. “Yet all I seem capable of when I put the uniform on is destruction. Death. All the wrong choices.”

“You saved us,” Charlie muttered, coming up behind him and putting her arms around his middle. The wetness of his shirt against her cheek did not bother her, they were both still soaked from their swim.

“One good choice is hardly enough to redeem me from all of my sins.”

She shook her head against his back. “Do you really think Beckett would have never gotten ahold of that damned heart?”

“My conscience would have been clear.”

“Would it? What about Elizabeth? What about me? What if you hadn’t been on the _Dutchman_ to help us escape?” He stiffened, but did not answer. “I know you believe you have sins to atone for, but the best way to do that is by stopping Beckett.”

“And what of the men still aboard the _Endeavour_ and the _Dutchman_ ?” he sighed. “They were _my_ men. I’m not sure I can -.”

Again she shook her head. “The truly good ones will see you and follow you, James. They won’t have you make that choice.”

The muscles under her shifted and she looked up to meet his eyes over his shoulder. “You really are determined only to see the good, aren’t you?” he asked with a faint smile.

“No,” she muttered. “I see it all. And I still love you.”

He turned around and took her in his arms, smiling lightly down at her as she fisted her hands in his shirt.

“And if you were that bad, you wouldn’t be here, you’d still be on the _Dutchman_ ,” she added for good measure. “You’re a good man, whether you like it or not.”

“One who’s made some fairly awful mistakes,” he murmured, reaching up to toy with the collar of her dress.

“We both have,” she whispered, looking down and trying not to think of the fire. Seeking comfort, she leaned her head against his shoulder and moved her arms around his middle.

A tear slipped from her eye as James placed a gentle kiss on the top her head. “Has it gotten any easier?”

“I’ll let you know.”

When he shifted to rest his head against hers, she felt his wig squish against the top of her head and water drip down from it onto her face. Perhaps it was inappropriate timing, considering what they had been discussing, but she could not help the loud burst of laughter that escaped her as she pushed back to look up at his confusion.

“That thing feels like a dead animal that’s been out in a storm,” she laughed, pointing at the wig.

The slight blush that coloured his cheeks as he reached up to fuss with the wig made her smile. “I’d forgotten I was even wearing…,” he mumbled, tugging at it.

“Let me,” she said, pushing him back toward the bed.

“This is familiar,” he observed as he fell back onto the bed.

“Infinitely more pleasurable, I’d say.” She straddled his lap and began pulling out the pins.

One of his hands skimmed up as she worked. “What’s this?”

His fingers threaded into her hair and found the pin she had been keeping. Her cheeks warmed as he stroked the hair around it. Softly she muttered, “Forgotten I even had…. I thought it was all I had left of….” She had known he was alive since Singapore, but somehow having the pin in her hair had become second nature and she had forgotten it even existed. “You must think me a sentimental fool.”

She reached up to pull it out and his hand stopped her. “No,” he murmured. “Leave it.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she said, “Need to get that dead rat off your head.” Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to not let her mouth run off the way she did. Diverting her gaze, she pushed her fingers back under his wig and began pulling the pins again as they sat in silence, until she pulled the last one and slid the wig off of him.

When she tried to stand to discard the wig, James pulled her back down and brought her lips to his tenderly. She dropped the wig on the floor when his tongue slipped past her lips, and she wrapped her arms up around his neck. His fingers gently traced her jaw and her cheek, while she undid the tie at the nape of his neck and tangled her fingers in his hair. Good lord it was soft!

“You’re right,” he breathed, shifting his hands down to her hips. “This _is_ infinitely more pleasurable.”

Charlie laughed and pulled back a little, caressing his face. “I believe that’s because of the dress.”

His eyes darkened, but before he could say anything a knock sounded at the door.

She put a finger to his lips as she stood. “Hold that thought, love.”

Opening the door, she accepted her own discarded clothes - less the jacket that was still on board the _Pearl_ \- and a new shirt for James. After all, he could not very well show up at Shipwreck Cove wearing a shirt and jacket that distinctly belonged to the Royal Navy.

She turned around to put the clothes down and found James right behind her. He took the clothes and tossed them unceremoniously on the bed, then bent and captured her lips in a searing kiss she felt head to toe. _Damn_ , she thought as his tongue slid into her mouth again. His hands ran slowly down her body until they came to a rest at her backside, while she pulled him down by the neck and held him close as their mouths hungrily moved together.

Shifting slightly, he pulled her legs up around his waist and backed her hard up against the door. The force of it nearly made her laugh, but when he ground his hips up into her it came out as a moan. He pulled back just far enough to mutter an apology. 

“Don’t,” she sighed. “Just keep going.”

He growled as she ground down against him and slipped one hand under his shirt to stroke along his spine. “What are you doing?”

“If you don’t know, your education has been sorely lacking,” she giggled.

“Charlotte,” he grunted.

“It’s alright,” she whispered, before nipping at his bottom lip then sliding her tongue back in his mouth as he moaned.

He pulled back again with a groan, “No, if we don’t stop now, I’m afraid I might not have the restraint to do so later.” 

She dropped down to her feet and stared up at him, trying to catch her breath. “Why should that -.”

“I don’t want to ruin your virtue,” he said, resting his forehead against hers gently. “Not here. You deserve so much more.”

“My-,” she began. It had not even occurred to her that he might think her a virgin. What if that mattered to him? After all, he had been a proper gentleman most of his life. Her eyes began to water, so she pushed past him and picked up the clothes from the bed.

“Charlotte,” he called, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “I didn’t intend to upset you. If I’ve -.”

“What if I have no virtue?” she cut him off with a whisper. He went stiff behind her, but kept his arms around her waist.

“Charlotte….”

“I...I don’t think I told you I was only seventeen when I left home,” she said. Her arms hung awkwardly at her sides. With James still encircling her from behind, she could not bring herself to move them on the chance that this would be what ruined her in his eyes. After all, he had been brought up to be an upstanding gentleman of society. “Or perhaps I did. Either way, I ran into Jack not long after leaving, thankfully. Days, actually.”

“Please tell me you and he -.”

“No,” she laughed. “Of all people, not Jack.” She reached up to rub at her eyes and the bridge of her nose. “No, it...you may think it worse,” she confessed quietly. 

Taking a deep breath first to calm herself, she continued, “When I first left home, everywhere I went, men would...they would...it was like I was a bloody commodity. One of them even told me he could smell my virginity on me.” A humourless laugh escaped her. “It’s...I know better now, but I was young and naive. And I hated being treated that way. So on my first trip to Singapore with Jack, I found a brothel and paid a man who worked there to…and he was nice. He treated me well. I never told Jack, he still believes I was playing cards.” The fact that James had not said anything since asking if she had slept with Jack was making her nervous.

“It wasn’t an unpleasant experience,” she said. Even to her own ears it sounded feeble. “A few years later I met a wonderful man from Japan during a stay at Shipwreck Cove. I was still young and fancied myself in love. I’d say we were better off as friends, but we weren’t together long and never kept in touch after his ship left the Cove.”

Behind her, James still had not moved or spoken. Resisting the urge to babble incoherently, she said simply, “there hasn’t been anyone else. I was beginning to think I was incapable of...or maybe just….” A bitter laugh worked its way past her lips. “James? Say something before I prattle on like a buffoon. Anything. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Nothing but silence answered her. It stretched on and on, and just as she was about to open her mouth and likely make a fool of herself, he spoke. “There won’t be a fourth man,” he growled, spinning her around and capturing her lips frantically.

She moaned and wrapped a leg around his hip as he lowered her gently to the bed. While he nipped and licked his way down her neck, she fisted a hand in his hair and again reached a hand under his shirt to tease the skin at the base of his spine. One of his hands glided down her side and caressed her thigh through the slit of her dress. It continued to move upwards a few inches, but when he reached her hip he stopped suddenly.

“Darling?” he muttered into her neck.

“Mmm?”

His hand moved further up under the dress to her stomach, and he looked back up at her, eyebrows raised.

“I could scarcely fit the daggers, let alone underthings,” she laughed.

Somehow his eyebrows shot up further. “Daggers?”

“Only two,” she replied, innocently.

“ _Only_?”

“Well, the dress didn’t leave room for more,” she explained with a cheeky grin. “And I gave one to Elizabeth.”

His eyes roamed up and down her body, while his thumb caressed the skin on her stomach. “Where’s the other?”

How in the hell did such a simple touch feel so damned good? She bit her lip to keep from moaning, then reached down and pushed his hand up a little further to the swell of her breasts, where the other dagger was tucked in.

He gaped at her, then pulled the dagger out, examining it as he twirled it in his hand. It was a few inches long with an ornate ivory handle and a curved blade that sat inside a leather sheath. She had stolen it off of some pompous windbag in Tortuga years ago. Her first successful bit of thievery.

Charlie reached out and took the dagger from him, placing it on the floor next to the bed. “Now that I’m unarmed…,” she teased.

James grinned up at her and slipped his hand back under her dress, causing her to gasp when his hand reached her centre and began gently caressing. “Where were we,” he muttered, burying his face in her neck once again.


	22. Part 3: The Party For The War On Evil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slowed down posting. I'm still working on the last 3 chapters, so things will be a little slower again for a while.
> 
> Same notes as always: Movies AU, not mine

A few hours later they arrived at Shipwreck Island and were circling to find the entrance, known as the Devil’s Throat. The island itself was lush green, pale grey rocks, and bright blue sea. Though the dark hour of their arrival had somewhat dimmed the colours, Charlie knew them well. A glow shone from the island, the light from the ships within.

She and James stood side by side at the rail, his arm around her waist and her head against his shoulder. While she was excited to see Shipwreck Cove again, she knew he might be a little leery of stepping foot into a pirate stronghold after years with the Royal Navy.

“Have you been here before?” James muttered, trailing his fingers along her arm.

“Many times,” she replied. “Though never with all of the Brethren Court together at once.” A wry grin twisted her features. “Should be interesting to say the least.”

“Interesting?”

“The Brethren Court haven’t gathered in decades,” she explained. “The current members all know one another, though. Every meeting results in at least a handful of minor skirmishes and brawls. Not that a meeting between pirates ever ends terribly peacefully. But having them all in the same small room? I think the best we can hope for is childish bickering and only a few deaths.” His arm tightened protectively around her. “Are you worried?” she laughed.

“We’re heading into a city full of pirates that I may or may not have crossed paths with in my tenure with the Royal Navy to attend a court meeting of pirates who, in the best scenario, will only kill a few people,” he said with a wry grin. “Why would I worry?”

“Just keep your sword ready and stay close to me,” she muttered, tilting her head to look up at him. An amused smirk slipped across her lips. “I’ll protect you.”

“Charlotte, I think I ought to be -,” he stopped short when her eyebrow shot up. “I won’t win this argument, will I?”

She reached up and pulled him down for a kiss, muttering against his lips, “no, darling."

“Truce?” he murmured between feather-light kisses.

The shadow of the entrance to the Devil’s Throat slowly stretched out overhead and stopped her reply. She slid her arms around his middle and rested her head against his shoulder, looking over the side of the boat. It was too dark to see all the wreckage in the water, the dim firelight only illuminating a few ship parts that still jutted out from rocks or outcroppings. But soon they would reach the other end of it and see Shipwreck Cove in all its glory. For that, she wanted to give her full attention. 

It was her favourite sight and it was never the same twice, given the city was added to every time a ship crashed in the Devil’s Throat. The sheer size of the city, lit by candles and torches and contrasted by the moonlight reflecting on the rocks around the city, was wondrous. Shipwreck Cove was a sight to behold.

“This is my favourite part,” she mumbled as the ship neared the other side. As soon as the city came into focus, she shifted her gaze up to watch James’s reaction.

His jaw dropped a little as he took in the scale and the beauty of Shipwreck Cove then Shipwreck City. “I can certainly understand why.”

As the crew prepared the longboat to go to the city, Elizabeth approached them. “Where do I go when we disembark?” she asked quietly as she leaned back against the rail.

“It should be fairly obvious, but when we leave the docks you’ll see a corridor on your left,” Charlie whispered back. “Take the turn in the corridor that has the large, angry men guarding it, and follow the line of large, angry men to the meeting. There you’ll stab your sword into the globe as a symbol of your intent.” She twisted around in James’s arms until they were both facing the deck. “Same as Singapore: stay strong, show no fear. And look at it like this - there may actually be fewer people who want to kill you here than in Singapore.”

“You’re not very good at rallying the troops,” James muttered.

“Would you rather I lied?” she asked, grinning. 

Elizabeth grimaced.

“Excellent, then let’s go to a room full of pirates who may or may not want us dead, where there’s only one way out!”

* * *

As they walked down the dimly lit wooden corridor, the voices of the arguing court grew louder. Elizabeth walked at the head of their column, followed by Tai Huang, with James and Charlie taking up the rear.

Charlie cocked her head, trying to discern anything coherent in the shouting.

A loud knocking sounded and Barbossa’s voice echoed down the corridor. “As he who issued summons, I convene this, the Fourth Brethren Court.”

The shouts died down.

“To confirm your lordship and right to be heard, present now your pieces of eight, my fellow cap’ns!”

Ahead, the corridor opened up, and by the time they reached the room where the court had gathered, Jack was addressing the crowd. “We’re still short one Pirate Lord, and I’m as content as a cucumber content to wait until Sao Feng joins us.”

Elizabeth chose that moment to speak. “Sao Feng is dead. He fell to the _Flying Dutchman._ ” 

Beside her, Charlie noticed James wince and she threaded her hand into his. Looking around, she saw everyone starting at Elizabeth, so she doubted anyone had noticed. Then again, Jack was always more perceptive than given credit for.

Elizabeth stepped forward and stabbed her sword into the nearby globe. “Before he died, he named me captain and passed his lordship onto me.”

“He made _you_ captain?” Jack scoffed. “They’re just giving the bloody title away now!”

Charlie and James followed the rest of the crew, filing in around the side of the table. She made sure to steer them to stand away from crew who may be less friendly if things went as they so often did with Jack. They came to a stop off to the side behind Jack. Gibbs caught her eye and nodded. James returned the nod while she offered a tight smile.

Jack arched an eyebrow at her in question and she shook her head. Now was not the time to talk about why James was with them, she just hoped Jack would stay silent and not put him in danger.

Standing near Jack and Barbossa, Elizabeth was trying to get the crowd’s attention. “Our location has been betrayed!” A relative silence fell over the group. “Jones is under the command of Lord Beckett. They’re on their way here.”

“Who is this betrayer?” one of the Brethren asked, outraged.

“Not likely anyone among us,” Barbossa said, clearly trying to get ahead of an argument.

Charlie barely heard Elizabeth asking where Will was, but she definitely heard Jack’s gleeful reply, “Not among us.”

Barbossa continued over them. “It matters not how they found us, the question is: what will we do now that they have?”

“We fight,” Elizabeth said.

The Brethren Court erupted in laughter. Some made fun of Elizabeth for being naive, others laughed about the lives already lost.

“What happens if they don’t fight?” James whispered in her ear.

“I think you mean ‘what happens if they don’t fight Beckett’,” she muttered back. “One way or another, there’ll be fighting.” She felt him go rigid and his hand came to rest at the small of her back. “We’ll be fine here.” When she looked up at him, he was very carefully watching everything in the room, eyes darting every which way. 

In the background she heard Barbossa drone on about releasing Calypso. That tore her attention away from James for the time being. Jack caught her eye and they exchanged skeptical looks. Releasing the sea goddess after her long years of imprisonment was quite possibly the worst idea in the long history of bad ideas.

When the court broke out in fights and shouts, Charlie felt James reach for his sword and stopped him with a gentle hand atop his. “Don’t.”

“Charlotte, you can’t just expect -.”

“Trust me.” At the soft-spoken request, he turned his eyes to meet hers. “Please.”

With a nod he let go of the sword and instead took her hand in his, then resumed his careful watch over the proceedings.

Charlie gave his hand a squeeze in thanks and he returned it, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb while keeping his attention on the court.

Barbossa leapt up onto the table and fired a single shot into the wood. Almost immediately the fighting paused and everyone turned their attention to him. “It was the First Brethren Court what imprisoned Calypso. We shall be the ones to set her free, and in her gratitude, she _will_ see fit to grant us boons!”

“Whose boons?” Jack asked. “Your boons? Utterly deceptive twaddle-speak, says I.”

“If you have a better alternative,” Barbossa said as he stepped down from the table slowly, “please, share.”

Jack took a moment’s pause, then said, “Cuttlefish,” as though he had just said the most brilliant word ever spoken. “Eh?” 

Charlie scrubbed a hand across her face and hid her grin behind it as she watched the spectacle.

Jack went on, stepping awkwardly around other pirates and being his usual flamboyant self. “Let us not, dear friends, forget our...dear...friends...the cuttlefish! Flipping glorious little sausages. Pen them up together, they’ll devour each other without a second thought.” He turned back to face a nearby pirate, just behind Mistress Ching. “Human nature, innit?” Then he turned to another of her men. ”Or...or fish nature.” When he rested his hands on Ching’s shoulders, Charlie was certain the only thing keeping her men from killing him was their fear of his father. It did not stop them from gripping their weapons, though. “So, yes. We could hole up here, well-provisioned and well-armed, and half of us would be dead within the month.” Jack let go of her and turned to the first of her men he had annoyed. “Which seems quite grim to me, any way you slice it.”

“Or!” he exclaimed, making his way stiffly around Jocard’s men to the other end of the table. “As my learned colleague so naively suggests, we can release Calypso and we can pray she’ll be in a merciful mood.” He leaned down into Villanueva’s face. “I rather doubt it.” Continuing on, he said, “Can we pretend she’s anything other than a woman scorned, like which fury hell hath no? We cannot!”

Charlie sighed. Was he making a point or being an ass? Knowing Jack, both. James looked down at her, finally taking his eyes off the court for a moment, and she shrugged. Where Jack was concerned, sometimes it was just best to go along with it.

“Res ipso loquitur, tabula in naufragi,” Jack babbled, “we are left with only one option. I agree with, and I can’t believe the words are coming outta me mouth….Captain Swann. We must fight.”

 _So that’s his game_ , she thought.

“You’ve always run away from a fight!” Barbossa accused.

“Have not.”

A snort of laughter escaped her before she could stop it and Jack briefly glared at her for her betrayal.

“Have so!”

“Have not!”  
  
“Have so!”

“Have not, slander and calumny!” Jack shot back with a tone of finality. “I have only ever embraced that oldest and noblest of pirate traditions.” He began gesturing grandly. “I submit that here, now, that is what we all must do: we must fight!” He paused for dramatic effect. “...to run away.”

A chorus of ‘aye’, started by Gibbs, rang out.

“And who will be the target of this fight?” Ching asked.

Elizabeth leaned forward on the table. “Lord Cutler Beckett.”

The Frenchman, Charlie had forgotten his name as she and Jack had taken to calling him Profiterole, interjected, “Beckett is not but a cog. Kill him, another takes his place.”

“That’s a hydra, not a cog,” Charlie grumbled. She heard James cough to mask his laugh beside her.

“Like Jones,” the Profiterole continued, glaring at her, “the Company is immortal. It has no body to kick, nor soul to damn.”

“Ah,” Jack said, drawing the man’s attention. “But Jones _does_ have a body, doesn’t he?” He grimaced. “Such as it is….”

As the Brethren began murmuring agreement with Jack, Barbossa interrupted. “As per the Code!” he began loudly. “An act of war, and this be exactly that, can only be declared by the Pirate King.”

Barbossa must have been out of his mind. If he invoked the code and brought Teague out, Teague would back Jack before the man who tried to kill his son. While he was a staunch defender of the Code, he also firmly believed in family. Teague would find a way to help Jack. And nobody in the room would dare go against him.

“There’s a Pirate King?” James asked, his voice quiet and incredulous.

“No,” she replied. “But if Barbossa’s right….” She looked over at Jack and it all clicked into place. “This ought to be interesting.”

“I call on Cap’n Teague, Keeper of the Code!” Barbossa declared.

Jack froze.

“Sri Sumbhajee proclaims this to be folly,” one of the Pirate Lord of the Indian Ocean’s men stepped up and spoke. “We are not beholden to those ancient, outdated laws! Hang the code! Are we not -.”

_BANG!_

The man went stiff as a board and fell backwards, dead.

James tried to go for his sword again and Charlie stopped him with a firm hand atop his. “It’s fine. Just...try not to disrespect the Code,” she whispered. It was obvious he was far from comfortable as he turned his head to look down at her. The worry in his eyes was sweet. “I promise, we’re fine, love.”

“The Code is the law,” Teague muttered as he wandered into the room, aiming a second pistol in the direction of the dead man’s body. It was clear that he was ready to kill whomever took his place.

Everyone turned to face him, except Jack, who remained rigid and stared at the table.

Another man stepped up next to Sumbhajee, shaking. “Sri Sumbhajee explains that a great misunderstanding has occurred,” he began fearfully. “That the Code is indeed the law.”

Teague holstered the second pistol and approached the table. “You’re in my way, boy,” he grumbled to Jack. Jack turned and exchanged a look with his dad, who then approached the table, gesturing to two men to step forward.

Shaking her head, she craned her neck to check on James. Rather than the tension she expected, he was frozen. It seemed to her to be surprise, rather than fear. “James?” she whispered.

He shook his head without looking down at her, and she massaged the back of his hand in response.

When she turned back Teague was examining the Code, muttering as he read. Suddenly he stopped and tapped on the page. “Barbossa is right.”

Jack stepped up around him to peruse the Code for himself, muttering as he read. “Huh. Fancy that,” he concluded.

Teague stepped back and took a seat to watch the proceedings, strumming casually away at a mandolin.

“There’s not been a King since the first court,” the Profiterole said. “And that’s not likely to change.”

“Why not?” Elizabeth asked.

Gibbs explained, “Y’see, the King is elected by popular vote and -.”

“Each pirate only ever votes for hisself,” Barbossa interrupted.

As Jack gleefully called for a vote, Charlie stepped slightly to the side in front of James. If she were being honest, though, she could not have said whether it was to prevent James from doing something stupid, or to be better positioned to get them out if things went south when Jack made his vote.

Predictably, every pirate around the room voted for themselves. Then it came to Jack, who grinned like an idiot and, with a little too much self-satisfaction, said, “Elizabeth Swann.”

As the pirates began to fight, she caught Jack’s eye and arched an eyebrow. He smirked, then, just loudly enough to be heard over the din, said, “Am I to understand, then, that you will _not_ be keeping to the Code?”

The distinct sound of a breaking mandolin string sounded and the room went silent.

“Very well,” Mistress Ching conceded as she stood and placed her hands firmly on the table. “What say you, Captain Swann, King of the Brethren Court?”

“What just happened?” James breathed into her ear.

“Jack outmanoeuvred Barbossa,” she replied, grinning as Elizabeth proclaimed war. “We fight.”

The Brethren Court and their crew began cheering and filing out of the room, the Profiterole glaring at her as he went. Whether it was the glare, the verdict that they would fight, or the protective arm James curled around her middle, she could not say, but she was grinning ear to ear.

Spinning around, she looked up at James and reached up to force his gaze away from the pirates. “I have to go speak with Teague. Do you want to wait here for me?”

“I’ve met him before,” he murmured, glancing up quickly over her shoulder then back down at her. 

“That’s why you tensed up.”

James nodded. “He saved my life when I was a boy. I was knocked overboard during a battle on my father’s ship. Sparrow was there too.” A grimace twisted his features. “I was six. My father told me I ought to have let myself drown, rather than suffer the embarrassment of being indebted to a pirate. I'd all but forgotten their faces.”

“And I thought my father was horrid for selling my hand in marriage for social gain,” she muttered. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad Teague saved you and I think your father’s an ass.”

“I love you,” James chuckled, reaching up to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. His fingers lightly trailed down her arm and he took hold of her hand, then gestured toward Teague and Jack. “After you, darling.”

She led him through the crowd, around an unhappy looking Gibbs. Teague walked around Jack and approached them.

“Charlie,” he greeted.

“Captain Teague,” she replied, inclining her head.

He glanced down at their joined hands. “Who’re you?”

“Captain Teague, this is James,” she said, pulling James forward. She kept her hand firmly in his so she could subtly signal him if needs be.

The remainder of the pirates had barely left the room when Jack stepped forward to offer his insight. “James _Norrington_ , former Admiral, former Commodore, former Captain of the Royal Navy. You know his dear old dad. In fact, you even saved little Norrington’s life once!”

Teague narrowed his eyes and inched closer.

“Thank you, Jack, helpful as always,” Charlie grumbled, moving to stand between James and Teague. 

“You’re welcome!” Jack chirped.

“He’s saved my life. And Jack’s. More than once.”

With a grunt, Teague stepped forward and pushed Charlie gently out of the way. Slowly, he looked James up and down. 

To his credit, James did not flinch; he held his ground.

“Your father is an asshole,” Teague finally grunted.

“Yes, sir,” James agreed.

Another grunt and Teague slunk around James and out the room.

“Jack!” Charlie slapped him on the arm as he rounded the table to follow his father out of the room.

He startled and looked down at her. “What? I waited for the room to clear.”

James rolled his eyes and glared. “Perhaps the next time you feel the need to be helpful, Sparrow, you can stop yourself before opening your mouth.”

“I was going to suggest he jump head first into shark-infested waters,” Charlie grumbled.

Jack walked around them and toward the exit. “That’s not nice.” he called cheerily over his shoulder.

“At least Teague likes you,” she groused, following the rest out of the room and pulling James with her.

“How can you tell? His expression never changed.”

“True, but you’re not dead,” she chuckled. “We should collect our effects from the _Empress_ and move them onto the _Pearl_.”

“You really are terrible at rallying the troops, love,” he laughed, pulling her into his arms as they walked.


	23. Part 3: In The Comparative Quiet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movies AU, still not mine.
> 
> I've still got 2 more chapters to write, but I promise I'm working away on it :) I guess technically I have 1.5 chapters...but...you get the idea.
> 
> Hopefully I'll finish this one within the next week and I can get the rest finished and posted by mid-February...ish....
> 
> Thanks as always to all readers, commenters, bookmarkers, kudo-ers, etc!

Charlie sat in her cabin aboard  _ the Black Pearl _ , sharpening her and James’s blades in preparation for the battle. James had insisted on helping prepare the ship when they boarded and she had gotten into an argument with Jack over him actually helping and not swabbing the deck or doing something else demeaning just because Jack was a child. She had taken his sword from him when he went to help Gibbs.

It was not as though she expected the pair to be the best of friends now, but good lord, some effort into working together when they were facing death did not seem like it should be too much to ask for.

And now she sat alone in the cabin muttering angrily and working a dagger against a whetstone perhaps a little too rigorously.

When the door opened behind her she turned and looked up, expecting to see James returning to the cabin to get some rest before the battle. Instead when she saw Jack, she returned to her overly enthusiastic sharpening. “Shouldn’t you be off somewhere acting like a spoiled child?” she muttered dryly. “Maybe make James into the cabin boy instead of accepting his help?”

“Someone’s a bit testy.”

Dropping the whetstone and the blade on the table with a sigh, she rose to face him. “What do you want, Jack?”

He hoisted a bottle in the air. “I brought rum!” he declared gleefully, draping her jacket on the empty chair.

“James is the one you owe the apology to, Jack.”

He started and wrinkled his nose. “But I don’t like him.”

Another sigh pushed its way past her lips. “Jack….”

Jack sat down next to her, offering her the bottle.

Before he could shoot off the smart reply she saw him preparing, she continued, “Why  _ are  _ you so antagonistic towards James anyway? You’ve never bothered about the men I’ve been with before.”

A strangled noise escaped Jack. “I do  _ not  _ need to hear about that, darling.”

“Hear about what? I didn’t provide details,” she laughed. “Unlike you with a woman or seven at every port, all of whom are angry with you. If I’ve got to suffer with knowing that, you can handle hearing about one of the three men I’ve been with.”

Another noise that could have been either Jack conceding, Jack disgusted, or a mix of both sounded.

“What’s wrong with him?” she asked seriously.

“He’s Royal Navy. His father was Royal Navy. Do you not remember when he was ready to hang you by your pretty little neck until dead?”

“Ah.” She smiled at him. “And people don’t ever change. And you certainly have never had anything to do with the Royal Navy, nor have you ever made poor choices.”

“He worked for Beckett,” Jack grumbled, taking a long swig from the bottle.

“So did you,” she shot back. “Oh, look! You have something in common!”

The only reply she received was more grumbling and more drinking.

“I’m not asking you to be his friend, Jack,” she sighed. “But it would be nice if you could at least be civil to the man I love.”

“Love? Eugh.”

“Jack.”

He lifted the bottle and seemed to be examining it, though Charlie knew he was weighing his reply. Lowering it, he turned to face her and said, “I cannot promise that I’ll try, darling. But I shall endeavour to do my best to attempt to not be antagonistic.”

She arched an eyebrow at him.

“Promise.”

With a sigh, she took the bottle. “I suppose that’s the best I can hope for, isn’t it?”

“Brought your jacket, by the by,” he grumbled, lifting the sleeve to flop it around. “Clever trick, that, letting me know you were with Sao Feng’s crew.”

“Figured even you could work out where I’d gone,” she shot back with a grin. They spent a long while in companionable silence, passing the bottle back and forth.

It was not long before the door opened again. This time when she turned, Charlie saw James standing there, looking between her, Jack, and the bottle.

Instead of commenting like she had expected, he shook his head and sighed. “Sparrow, out.”

“You do realise,” he slurred, though Charlie was fairly sure it was more show than drunkenness, “that this is  _ my  _ ship, aye, mate?”

Before James could reply and start an argument, she cut in, “Jack.”

He jumped a little and turned to look at her. “What? This  _ is  _ me ship.”

“Do you really want to stay?” she asked, arching an eyebrow and smirking.

“Eugh!” he shouted as he jumped out of his seat.

“Just go,” she laughed.

Jack could not just leave, though, so he made a show of his disgust on his way out the door and pointed threateningly at James before shutting the door.

Shaking his head, James sighed irritably as the door closed. “Is he always like that?”

“Mostly,” Charlie laughed.

“Mostly?” he asked, eyebrow quirked.

Charlie shrugged as she stood up. A grin slid into place as James crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her waist. “He’s an ass, but he does care,” she said, tracing her fingers along his jaw. Good lord, she missed the beard. Perhaps if they survived, she could convince him to grow it back.

“How can you tell?” he murmured, nuzzling into her hand and kissing her palm.

“I’ve known him a very long time,” she replied with a smile. “So why’d you come back? Did you get tired of the poor grammar and hygiene?”

“Mmm,” he sighed. “And to spend time with you.”

Her cheeks warmed and she worried her lower lip between her teeth. “I sharpened your sword, by the by,” she muttered, turning in his arms to retrieve it. When she got too far, though, she felt herself being twirled around until James’s forehead was resting against hers. His arms held her firmly in place, curved up against his body.

“Don’t,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her tenderly.

As his lips started to move lightly against hers, she felt herself being backed up toward the bed. “We need to rest,” he whispered between kisses.

Pulling back a little, she smirked and quirked an eyebrow.

“Actual rest,” he laughed. “At least a few hours. It’ll do us no good to be exhausted at dawn.” 

Gingerly, he swapped places with her and pulled her down on top of him. She felt him grin when she curled up against his side and tucked her head under his chin. The last thing she remembered before she drifted off was feeling his lips kissing the top of her head.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Charlie awoke still wrapped in James’s arms. 

“Sleep well?” James murmured into her hair, arms tightening around her.

It should not have surprised her that the man who had spent his life in the Royal Navy had woken before her, but somehow it had caught her off guard. Perhaps it was the fog of sleep. “Oddly well, all things considered,” she muttered. “You?”

“Mmm,” he sighed, kissing the top of her head. “Very well.”

Angling her head up, she grinned at him, then rolled back out of the bed. “We should get ready.” Behind her, she heard him groan in protest. “Or we stay here and let Beckett catch us with our trousers down. Literally,” she laughed.

Despite his grumbled protests, she heard him get up and cross the room behind her. 

Under the table in her cabin was a small safe with a few weapons. She bent to unlock it and reached up to put the ones she selected up on the table. By the time she was finished the safe was empty and the table was crowded. Two large pistols, two small pistols that she could tuck into her sleeves, a large dagger, and an assortment of smaller daggers, alongside her regular sword and a short sword, adorned the table.

James whistled at the array of weapons. “What are you planning to do with all this? Distribute it amongst the crew?”

“No,” she laughed. “This is for me. Though I could be persuaded to share for a price.” 

He grinned at her and put his hand at the small of her back as he slid closer, reaching his other hand around her waist as she turned to face him. He held her gaze, smirking, and lowered his mouth toward hers. Just before their lips connected he pulled back, his own sword in hand and a self-satisfied smirk.

“You think you’re clever,” she giggled.

“I’m certain I’ll pay for it later, Charlotte.” Despite his words, he was smiling as he readied himself for battle.

“You’ve no idea,” she promised. She turned back to the table and picked up a couple of daggers, then hid them in her shirt. When she was satisfied, she pulled on her jacket and hid a few more in the folds, then slid the two smallest pistols up her sleeves. Next she bent down to slide a dagger into each of her boots.

“Where are you going to put a sword  _ and  _ a short sword?” James asked.

Standing back upright, she realised he had stopped getting ready and was watching her. Slowly, she picked up the short sword and clipped it into a sheath sewn inside her jacket, grinning as she moved.

“You still have 3 daggers left.”

She took two of the three and hid them on her person, then took the third and slowly walked over to James. Twirling the dagger in her fingers, she laughed when he eyed it wearily and arched his eyebrows at her. “I’m not going to stab you, darling, I’m going to arm you.”

“I already have weapons, Charlotte.”

“So hide this one and fight dirty,” she muttered, reaching up to pull him closer by the shirt collar.

In response he gave her a questioning look.

“We’re pirates,” she muttered, sliding her hand around his middle to stash the dagger in the waist of his trousers for him. It was obvious to Charlie that he was biting back another comment as he bent to kiss her quickly, but she let it go and smiled instead. If they survived, they would talk about it then.

“Charlotte,” he sighed, resting his head against hers. “If I -.”

She reached up and covered his mouth with her hand. “Don’t,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No ‘if’, no promises for now. We can worry about that on the other side of this. Just shut up and kiss me, then let’s go fight Beckett.”

His lips slid into a grin against her palm before he reached up and pulled her hand away so he could capture her lips in a toe-curling kiss. 


	24. Part 3: Death, Doom, Mockery, And Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not mine, movies AU, damn I wish it was mine hahaha - Norrington wouldn't've died!
> 
> Down to the last chapters!
> 
> I'm working away on the final chapter right now, so I'm hoping to have that wrapped up by next Sunday...ish? Fingers crossed?
> 
> This chapter hasn't had a final beta reading, so it...may be less than perfect. If I've missed anything, spelling mistakes or continuity or anything at all, just let me know :) 
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who's bookmarked, reviewed, kudo'd, etc so far! I really appreciate it :)

Not long after, the sun had risen and Charlie stood between James and Jack on the deck of the _Pearl_. A fog had descended on the area and they could barely see ahead through the mist. It complemented the tense atmosphere perfectly. Where was Beckett?

All around them the ships of the Brethren Court waited.

James had slid his hand into hers and was squeezing it comfortingly, caressing it with his thumb.

The silence was deafening.

After taking a tense breath, she risked a glance at Jack. His eyes were narrowed on the horizon and he seemed to be pointedly avoiding her gaze. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she muttered under her breath.

“So do I.”

A single ship began to materialise in the fog and all around the crew began to cry war. 

Out of the corner of her eye she caught Jack smirking.

Charlie shook her head, then looked up and caught James’s worried eyes. Something was not right.

The shouts began to die down, so she tore her gaze away and looked back to the horizon. Dozens of ships were emerging through the fog.

When James’s hand slid from hers she nearly protested. But when that arm moved to pull her close, she reached up and rested her hand on top of his. 

It was not until Jack muttered “Parlay?” that she noticed the rest of the crew had turned to look at him.

Barbossa and Elizabeth moved to join him at the same time, Elizabeth calling to one of the crew to prepare a longboat.

“Is this wise?” James asked, arm still firmly around Charlie’s waist.

“Probably not,” Jack muttered.

Charlie bit back an inappropriate comment about that being close to them getting along. Instead followed Jack to the longboats and gave him a look, trying to work out what he was planning. Jack would not meet her gaze, though, and the grin he wore as he boarded the longboat did not reach his eyes. It worried her.

Leaning over the rail, she watched Jack, Elizabeth, and Barbossa lower to the sea and row away. 

“It’ll be alright,” James’ voice sounded in her ear. “Sparrow knows what he’s doing.”

Turning around to look up at him, she smiled a little. “Are you defending Jack to make me feel better?” she asked, reaching up to toy with the collar of his jacket.

“I know better than to placate you,” he replied, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear and cupping her jaw.

That was not the answer she had been expecting, but the look in his eyes told her he was sincere. “You really believe Jack knows what he’s doing?”

James grimaced. “I believe he would never put you in danger or hurt you in any way.”

Pulling him closer by the collar, she whispered, “does that mean you don’t regret choosing this side?”

“Never,” he answered almost before she finished her question, dropping his arms to circle her waist. “I will always be on your side, Charlotte. Always.”

She pulled him down for a quick kiss, then turned in his arms to watch the longboat sail toward the sandbar for parlay.

* * *

Charlie sat on the stairs up to the quarterdeck, with James leaning on the railing beside her, anxiously awaiting Jack’s return. What the hell was he hoping to accomplish anyway? Any parlay with Beckett was not likely to end with him agreeing to just turn around and leave. Beckett did not have it in him to give up when he was so close. But then again, neither did Jack.

And the fact that he had refused to meet her eyes before leaving worried her more than she would care to admit. Whatever his plan was, he had known she would not like it.

“The longboat’s back!” someone shouted.

Charlie jumped up and ran to the railing, only to see Barbossa, Elizabeth, and Will climb aboard, but no Jack. She immediately reeled on Elizabeth. “Where’s Jack? What, did you kill him again?” she shouted.

Elizabeth gaped at her. “What? I...no!” But she did not get a chance to properly respond as Barbossa’s men were bringing Tia Dalma up on deck, bound in ropes.

“Barbossa! You can’t release her!” Will called, pushing between Elizabeth and Charlie.

Before she even realised what was happening, Barbossa’s crew had her, James, Gibbs, Elizabeth, and Will surrounded, restraining them.

“We’ve got to give Jack a chance!” Elizabeth shouted.

That got Charlie’s attention. She jerked her head toward Elizabeth, who was glaring at Barbossa. Why would Jack go with Beckett on purpose?

“Apologies, your highness,” Barbossa said as he cut a sarcastic bow. “But ‘tis certain the world we know ends today, and I won’t be letting the likes of Cutler Beckett say what comes next, nor will I be pinning my hopes on Jack Sparrow. Too long has my fate not been in me own hands. No longer!” With that he ripped Sao Feng’s piece of eight from her neck and turned back to Tia Dalma.

Ragetti stepped up, delicately holding the bowl containing the remaining pieces of eight, less Jack’s and Elizabeth’s pieces. Barbossa added the remaining two, while Tia Dalma - Calypso - watched nearly in disbelief.

When had Barbossa taken Jack’s piece? Was it given willingly?

Turning her head, Charlie tried to catch Elizabeth’s eye to see if she could work it out. Elizabeth, though, only stared ahead, glaring at the back of Barbossa’s head.

“There some sort of spell or something?” Pintel asked.

“Aye!” Barbossa replied. “The items brought together, done. Has to be performed over water, we lucked out there. Items burned. And someone must speak the words, ‘Calypso, I release you from your bonds’.”

“Is that it?” Pintel asked. “I was expectin’ something more...you know….”

“‘Tis said the words must be spoken softly, as if to a lover.” He turned and grabbed Gibbs’ rum bottle from him, then poured the liquid over the items in the bowl. Ragetti handed him the linstock then backed away reverently.

Barbossa raised the linstock in a melodramatic fashion Jack would have appreciated and lit the bowl, then spoke, “Calypso! I release you from your human bonds!”

Charlie blinked. If that was how Barbossa spoke to his lovers, she imagined he had none. Perhaps this would not go so badly after all.

Nothing happened.

“Is _that_ it?” Pintel asked.

“You didn’t say it right!” Ragetti exclaimed.

“The one time one of the idiots is helpful,” Charlie muttered under her breath.

“You have to say it right,” he stated, as though reinforcing his own belief in his words. He stepped up to Calypso and whispered in her ear.

The bowl ignited immediately and floated above the deck, while the pieces of eight within began to shrivel with the heat. Calypso gasped and sagged a little, inhaling the fumes from the bowl. She shuddered with what Charlie would imagine was relief and the air itself seemed to grow heavy and tense.

Will seemed unfazed by this as he pushed away from Barbossa’s men, who struggled to hold him. “Calypso!” he shouted.

The Goddess raised her eyes slowly to him.

“When the Brethren Court first imprisoned you, who was it that told them how? Who was it that betrayed you?”

“Name him,” she commanded.

“Davy Jones.”

Charlie bit back a gasp. This was a dangerous game, one that could end with everyone within a few miles of them dead. She elbowed her way out of the grasp of the man holding her and reached for James’ hand. 

Calypso shook with rage and began to grow, the ropes binding her falling away as she grew. The deck sank with her weight.

Barbossa kneeled and everyone on the deck slowly followed suit. James pulled Charlie down with him and held tight onto her hand.

“Calypso!” Barbossa began. “I come before you as but a servant, humble and contrite. I have fulfilled my vow, and now ask your favour. Spare me self, my ship, my crew, but unleash your fury upon those who dare pretend themselves your masters or mine!”

Calypso’s voice thundered out across the sea, making Charlie wince, though she was afraid to cover her ears. Suddenly, the Goddess collapsed into hundreds, possibly thousands of tiny white crabs, scattering across the deck in a massive wave that swept up all in its path.

Charlie felt herself being pulled up and flung against the wall of the quarterdeck, with James shielding her from the wave.

Almost as suddenly as it began, though, it was over. All the crabs had flowed off the ship and into the sea.

Reaching up, Charlie fisted her hand in James’ shirt as his hands rested on her hips and looked up at him.

“That can’t be it?” he murmured, looking around at the sea. He guided her to the railing and slid his arm around her waist as they looked into the water.

No sign of Calypso or the crabs. Behind them Charlie heard Elizabeth give what she assumed was a rousing speech, but she paid no attention as she kept her eyes on the water. “She knows who betrayed her,” she muttered. “Perhaps she’s on her way to the _Dutchman_?” Looking toward the cursed ship, though, she saw no sign of the Goddess.

A chorus of shouts rose up behind her. “Hoist the colours!”

“Target the _Flying Dutchman_ ,” Will ordered. “We’re the only ship that can catch her.”

The winds changed direction as pirate flags were hoisted all around them, and the sky went from bright blue to black as the seas and skies began to churn. Rain began to fall down in sheets, soaking everyone on deck and likely starting to soak those below as well.

“It seems that wasn’t it,” James muttered.

Gibbs’ voice exclaimed, “Maelstrom! Saints preserve us….”

Out on the sea the _Dutchman_ crawled toward the _Pearl_.

Barbossa started giving directions from the helm as they approached the _Flying Dutchman_ , Will’s voice mixing with his.

“She’s on our stern and gaining!” Will shouted.

Charlie took a deep breath and blew it out, tearing her gaze away from the waters and moving back onto the deck with James. Everywhere men rushed around the deck, trimming the sails and readying the cannons. While James ran to help with the sails, she went below decks to help with the cannons.

The ship rocked heavily and Charlie did not dare to look out the ports to see why. Instead she busied herself ensuring the fuses for the cannons remained dry amid the torrent pouring in from the deck above and the waters outside.

Before they had finished preparing, cannonballs were flying through the air all around. It would not be long now before they were given the orders to fire, surely. It was time to go have a look above deck. A cannonball flew past Charlie’s head as she ran up the stairs to see how close they were. She felt someone grab her hand and turned to see James looking at her with worry.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his hand gripping hers tightly and slipping a little from the rain.

Squeezing back, she nodded, then turned her attention back to the _Flying Dutchman_ . The maelstrom was between them and the _Dutchman_ and they were circling closer. Before long they would be close enough to board, for any who dared cross over the chasm in the sea. She had a feeling Jones’s men would not hesitate to cross.

Gibbs ran past to the stairs, holding for Barbossa’s order to fire and shouting preparations at those below. When the order was given, he shouted, “Fire! Fire all!”

James pulled her closer and grabbed ahold of part of the ship to steady them. The ship was now rocking and swaying erratically in the waters and listing toward the centre of the whirlpool.

“It be too late to alter course now!” Barbossa laughed maniacally from the helm.

Charlie kept her eyes firmly on the _Dutchman_ , looking for any sign they were about to be boarded. As the two ships neared each other, she saw a figure that looked suspiciously like Jack leap up onto the railing and swing himself up to the mast. “Jack?” she gasped as Jones appeared on the mast and attacked.

“Do you know of anyone else who would be so reckless and lucky?” James asked over the noise of the storm.

Charlie grinned, then pushed past him as boarders began descending on the _Pearl_. “Together?” she asked as she drew her sword.

Next to her, James drew his sword and smiled.

Then they were surrounded.

Royal Navy soldiers, pirates, and Davy Jones’ crew clashed all around them. Charlie dove into the fray, attacking one of Jones’ men who had one of the _Pearl’s_ crew pinned. Ducking her attacker’s blow, she pulled a dagger from her boot and shoved it into his chest, then pushed up to knock him overboard. She ordered the crew member to head below deck to assist with the cannons, then went back to James just as a stunned member of the Royal Navy approached him.

The man seemed to consider for a moment, then must have decided that James was more worth fighting alongside than against, and turned his blade on Jones’ men.

Charlie gave a stunned James a grin as she reached across him to block an attack. “Told you!” The move shook him out of his reverie and he moved to stand back to back with her as they fought.

As they fought, more and more soldiers turned to fight until it was a near even split between the ones fighting against Jones’ men and the ones fighting alongside them. Despite the help, though, they were still severely outnumbered by Jones’ men.

Over the storm, she vaguely heard Barbossa shouting something that sounded suspiciously like wedding vows and turned just in time to see Will and Elizabeth kissing. “Hardly the time nor the place,” she muttered before knocking one of the cursed sailors off his feet.

Not long after, she saw the pair swing to the _Dutchman_ out of the corner of her eye as she fought. Occupied as she was, she could not follow. Hopefully, they would be enough to help Jack.

One of the Royal Navy soldiers still fighting alongside Jones’ men slashed at Charlie with a yell, pulling her back into the present and cutting her cheek as she dodged the blade. As she rose up, she grabbed at his sword arm and curled up against his body, elbowing him in the stomach and trying to wrench the blade free.

One of the _Dutchman_ ’s crew chose that moment to swing his ball and chain mace at her, and she pushed the Royal Navy blade out to block it. The force of the blow, though, knocked her and the soldier off their feet, with Charlie landing on top of him. When he swung the mace again, she rolled out of the way, wincing as she heard it crack the bones of the man who had been underneath her.

Pushing off the ground, she dropped her sword and searched for something nearby that would withstand the force of the mace. A steel harpoon lay close by and she ducked another blow and rolled toward it, hoping like hell that it would do. As she rose up, the cursed pirate took another swing at her and she pushed back with the harpoon, twisting to grab the chain in the hooks, and used the momentum of his swing to throw both weapons overboard.

A quick glance over her shoulder showed her that James was holding his own for now, so she turned back to her opponent. Drawing one of her daggers from her jacket, she assumed a fighting stance and sized up her opponent. He would win on pure strength based on his size alone, not to mention the protection provided by the lobster-like shell covering his entire body, so she would need the proper leverage in order to win. She waited for him to attack first, which he did almost immediately. His large barnacled arm shot through the air next to her face as she sidestepped the blow by only a hair.

Charlie smirked as she saw a piece of debris hurtling through the air toward them. She waved jauntily at the lobster, then tucked and rolled away, standing up just in time to see him fly overboard. _That works_ , she thought to herself with a grin.

Turning back toward James, she saw a Royal Navy officer facing him down. The man did not seem to be attacking, though his posture was decidedly not friendly either. She approached him from behind and caught what he was saying as she neared.

“What happened to the man I knew in Port Royal?” he shouted. 

As she approached the spot where her sword had been discarded, she recognised the voice. Mr Gillette.

Gillette continued, “He’d’ve led this charge and I would have followed him!”

Another of Jones’ crew appeared in her peripheral and instead of ducking, she used his own momentum to toss him down against the deck and drove her dagger into his chest. Rolling quickly off him, she grabbed her sword and continued closer to James and Gillette.

“Instead you abandon us all for...what? Some pirate whore?” he shouted.

“What did you just say?” James asked, voice dangerously low.

Another Royal Navy soldier was sneaking up behind James. He would not have time to deal with both men.

Charlie cursed silently and walked into James' line of sight behind Gillette, while his former subordinate monologued about her virtue or lack thereof. She caught his eye and subtly indicated the man behind him, then indicated she would take care of Gillette.

“I suppose that makes this rather poetic, then,” James said casually. Abruptly he turned and took out the man behind him, while Charlie ran her sword through Gillette from behind.

As he fell to the deck, he twisted to see who had stabbed him, eyes widening in surprise as Charlie watched him coldly. “Uniform or no, James Norrington is a better man than you ever could’ve been.” With that she stepped over his body as he gasped his last breaths and thought about him no more.

James was watching her with an uncertain smile on his face. “You really meant that.”

Charlie blinked. “Of course I did. He’s an ass.”

The ship lurched violently, nearly knocking them both off their feet, and she reached out for James subconsciously.

“She’s takin’ us down!” Barbossa shouted. “Make quick or it’s the Locker for us all!”

A look upward showed that at some point in the battle the masts of both ships had become entangled. She cast a glance over at the _Dutchman_ , trying to find Jack amongst the chaos.

“Sparrow can take care of himself. We've got to separate the ships,” James said.

“Right,” she agreed, shaking her head to clear it. They ran to the nearest cannon above deck. James helped her push the cannon as far astern as it would go and manoeuvre it to point upward on the deck, then he loaded a chain shot into the cannon. Charlie carefully positioned it to fire at the masts in just such a way that it would not sink the _Pearl_ when it came back down. Hopefully it would land safely in the sea. Or perhaps even on the deck of the _Dutchman,_ right on top of Davy Jones if she had her way. Unlikely, but she could dream.

Taking a deep breath, she lit the fuse and fired.

When the chain shot hit the masts dead on and broke the ships apart before flying harmlessly off into the sea, she finally released the breath shakily. The _Pearl_ shook with the force of the parting and she flew forward into James’ arms. He steadied them both while the ship righted itself as Barbossa pulled them out of the maelstrom.

Behind them the _Dutchman_ started falling into the swirling waters.

“Jack….”

She felt James place a kiss on the top of her head as they sailed away from the storm and the weather began to clear. He clung as tightly to her as she did to him, reminding Charlie that at some point Elizabeth had gone over there with Will. They might both lose a dear friend if someone over there did not act quickly.

Something flew up from the _Dutchman_ as it sank into the depths. It looked like a piece of sail with ropes hanging beneath it. Two figures were dangling from the ropes and Charlie hoped beyond hope that one of them was Jack.


	25. Part 3: An Aftermath Is An Apocalyptic Period Of Transition Back To Chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more wrap up chapter to post. I had intended to post both at once, but I'm a bit slow going on wrapping this up and keeping it to one chapter, so I'll post this now and hopefully the last chapter in a day or two. Hopefully.
> 
> Still not mine, AU.
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who's reading/following/supporting me while I write this :)

The _Pearl_ approached the spot where the cloth and its passengers had landed, and Charlie held her breath again as the swimmers came into view. Jack’s voice sounded clear as he and Elizabeth came into view, berating them for taking so long, and she grinned.

“I can’t tell if that was luck or skill,” James muttered beside her.

“I think that’s Jack’s best kept secret,” she replied, smiling ear to ear.

Within moments they had come up alongside the pair, and Elizabeth climbed aboard first. Gibbs extended a hand to help her.

As soon as she was out of the way, Charlie bent down to help Jack up. “You lucky bastard,” she muttered as Jack stood up.

“Thank heaven, Jack!” Gibbs exclaimed. “The armada is still out there, the _Endeavour_ is coming up hard to starboard. I think it’s time we embraced that oldest and noblest of pirate traditions.”

Jack, though, ignored him and pushed toward the opposite side of the deck.

Exchanging a look with Gibbs, Charlie shrugged and followed him.

“I’ve never actually been one for tradition,” Jack muttered as they came next to him, one on each side. He patted the rail, then walked away, barking orders. “Close haul her! Luff the sails and lay her in irons!”

Barbossa shouted back, “Belay that! We’ll be sitting ducks!”

“Belay that ‘belay that’!” Jack shouted back, clearly done with it.

Gibbs, Pintel, and Ragetti came up behind them, attempting to interject their own arguments. Charlie grinned and leaned casually on the rail as Jack interrupted each on with a cry of “belay!”. It did not matter if they ran, there would be nowhere to hide. The armada and Beckett knew where Shipwreck Cove was now. Try as they might to avoid it, confrontation with Beckett was coming whether they liked it or not.

James, standing next to Elizabeth mid-deck, arched an eyebrow at Charlie and she shrugged in response. By now he should not be surprised by Jack’s antics. And it was clear, at least to Charlie, that Jack had a plan. With a bit of luck, they would not die there today.

Jack gave one final shout and the crew began following his orders. As far as she could tell that was as good a sign as any to join Jack, Gibbs, and Barbossa.

“Didn’t figure it’d end this way,” Gibbs muttered. “Always pictured a jealous husband or the like.”

“A reasonable assumption,” Jack replied.

“Beyond reasonable,” Charlie snorted. Ignoring Jack’s glare, she continued, “But I suspect Jack has no intention of dying here today.”

“Do our best to take Beckett with us if we do, aye?” Jack added with a slight grin as he stared at the enemy ships on the horizon.

“Aye,” she agreed. A chorus of “aye” came from the sailors standing nearest.

Just before the ship came in range, a ship burst out of the water. It was clean, grey, and steady. If it had not been for it bursting from the sea, Charlie would have almost been hard-pressed to recognise the _Flying Dutchman_.

When she looked to Jack, she saw he was almost giddy. On his other side, Elizabeth was also smiling. Charlie opened her mouth to speak, but stopped almost immediately as the pieces clicked into place. _Young William…._

“Full canvas!” Jack shouted.

“Aye,” Barbossa echoed. “Full canvas!”

A short laugh of disbelief escaped her as both the _Pearl_ and the _Dutchman_ approached the _Endeavour_ with just enough room between them for the other ship to pass through.

She turned to look at James, but found him standing on the other side of the ship, facing away from the impending battle. The _Endeavour_ stood no chance against both ships and he clearly knew it. There was nothing she could say or do about it, so she crossed the ship and looped her arm in his, leaning her head on his shoulder in support as they approached the Royal Navy ship.

For a moment she thought she had made a mistake when his arm slid from hers, but it wound around her waist and pulled her firmly against his body. Wrapping her arms around his middle, she held her breath and waited for the barrage to start.

Cries giving the order to fire arose around the deck.

James tightened his grip around her and the knuckles on the hand still on the railing went white. His entire body tensed up. Turning to place a soft kiss on his shoulder, she saw Groves shouting an order on the _Endeavour_ before jumping over the side. _Good man_ , she thought as she rested her head on James’ shoulder again. Hopefully, with Groves’ order given, there would be a relatively small loss of life, though they would need to send the _Pearl_ back for survivors before any of the other ships could pick them up. If any of the other pirates at Shipwreck Cove got ahold of them, she hated to think what would happen.

A loud explosion sounded as the cannonfire hit the powder kegs on the enemy ship and with that, just as quickly as it had started, the barrage was over.

“They’re turning away!” Marty shouted.

Cheers rose up all around the deck and soon began echoing through the rest of the Brethren Court’s ships. James tensed up even further.

Charlie placed another soft kiss on his shoulder. “I’ll be right back, darling.” She slid from his grasp and ascended the stairs to the quarterdeck, grinning briefly when she saw Gibbs toss Jack’s hat, only to chase after it a moment later.

The smile on Jack’s face faded as she approached. “What?”

She arched an eyebrow at him in response.

“You recall that only moments ago they were trying to kill us,” he muttered.

Charlie kept staring, eyebrow still up.

“What, we take them to Shipwreck Cove where we all live happily ever after together?”

Again, she did not move.

“Eugh!” Jack spat. “Fine!” When Gibbs returned with his hat, Jack barked the orders to turn around and retrieve the survivors. Orders to turn the ship around were shouted across the deck as the crew went quickly from joy to action.

“Thank you,” she finally said, smirking. “I knew you wouldn’t leave them to the sharks.” The only response she got was another petulant noise, so she turned around still smirking and walked back to James.

As she stepped off the last stair, she saw him staring at her with his mouth hung open slightly. It stopped her in her tracks. Had she crossed a line without realising it?

Before she could dwell on it for too long, though, he charged forward and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

“James?”

“Mmm?”

“I can’t breathe.”

He pulled back almost instantly, hands gliding over her body to check if he had harmed her as he muttered a tirade of awkward apologies.

“James,” she called again firmly. When he stopped fussing and looked at her, she smiled and pulled him down for a passionate kiss. Though it took him a moment to respond, when he did she could not help but grin against his lips. His arms slipped around her waist and pulled her body flush against his, while hers went around his neck. His teeth pulled at her bottom lip and she bit back a moan.

From the deck above she heard Jack making childish sounds and shouting, "Not on me ship!"

Both grinned at the protesting, but it seemed to her that he was just as unwilling to stop as she was. They were only pulled out of their reverie when a voice called, "well, it's about time!"

Charlie pulled back and saw a very wet Lieutenant Groves smiling at them. Despite the angry and armed pirates surrounding him, he seemed completely at ease. Perhaps it was because he knew neither Charlie nor Norrington would let any harm come to him.

James snapped back to formality in an instant; he stepped forward and held out a hand. “Lieutenant,” he greeted.

"Admiral," the smirking Groves returned. Instead of shaking hands, the men grasped each other's forearms in greeting.

Though she expected him to at least flinch, James still looked happy when he corrected Groves. "Not anymore, Lieutenant."

"Lieutenant Groves,” Charlie said, greeting him with a kiss to the cheek before sliding her hand into the crook of James’ arm.

“Miss LaChance.”

“Are you ever going to call me Charlie?” she laughed.

“It wouldn’t be proper, Miss LaChance.”

Casting a sidelong glance at James, she smiled fondly as he reached his hand up to cover hers and stroke the top of her hand affectionately. “You Navymen and your propriety.”

Groves shifted his gaze over her shoulder. “Captain Sparrow. Thank you for coming back for us.”

Arching an eyebrow, she turned to look up at James, who shrugged. Having a pirate save your life seemed to afford him a modicum of respect. She was fairly certain he had not called him Captain Sparrow before, only Sparrow.

“Don’t thank me, thank her. I’d’ve left you.”

Charlie turned to glare at him. “No, you wouldn’t’ve.”

“Would so,” he shot back, sticking his tongue out.

With a roll of her eyes, she turned back to Groves, only to find him being led away below decks with the rest of the Royal Navy soldiers. She opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head.

“It’s alright, Miss,” he called over his shoulder. “Just make sure to invite me to the wedding!”

Shaking her head, she laughed and turned back to James. “And what about you?”

“I should hope I wouldn’t _need_ an invitation,” he said, blinking.

“I meant what are you going to do now,” she laughed. “I’m not naive enough to think you’ll stay on the _Pearl_ under Jack’s command. And I would hazard a guess you’ll not return to the Royal Navy.”

“Oh. That,” he said, shaking his head as though it needed to be cleared. Something had clearly been occupying his thoughts and it was not his career. She made a note to find out later when they were not surrounded by pirates and Navymen. “I was thinking privateer would be quite the appropriate career.”

“Where would you even find someone to sign the Letters of Marque?” she laughed. “How many Governors are in your acquaintance?”

Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a leather bound set of papers. “You mean these?”

She grabbed them out of his hand while he grinned down at her. They looked exactly the same as the ones Beckett had pre-signed for Jack. Pulling the tie, she unfolded the papers and saw Beckett’s signature the same as before. Only now James’ name appeared as the recipient. “When did you get these? _How_ did you get them?”

His smug grin did not waver as he continued to watch her.

“Pirate,” she chided him, smiling softly as she refolded the letters and handed them back to him.

“Privateer,” he corrected, leaning down to capture her lips in a quick kiss as he repocketed the letters.

“D’you reckon your first mate might be pardoned from any...past transgressions?” she muttered as her arms slid up around his neck.

He pulled her close, arms tightening around her waist. “I’m not certain,” he replied. “But my wife most definitely would be.”

Charlie froze.

“Wife?” she repeated.

“Marry me,” he breathed.

Pushing back out of his arms she shook her head. “What? Settle down in some mansion on land and have babies and never sail again?”

“I never said -.”

“I left that life behind years ago! I’m _not_ the mothering type and how is chaining me in a mansion with...with children!...any better than slavery? No life of my own, no choices, no -.”

“Charlotte, I never said a word about any of that!”

“You asked me to marry you!” she shouted back at him.

“Yes!” he yelled. “Marry me because I love you!”

“But marriage is...it’s children and settling down and being demure and deferring to your husband and -.”

“If I wanted a meek and demure wife, I wouldn’t have asked _you_!”

“He’s got you there, love,” Jack interjected.

Charlie blinked and realised the entire ship had stopped to stare at them as they fought.

“Not now, Sparrow,” James ground out, eyes never leaving Charlie’s. “Charlotte, I want you to be my wife because I love you and I can’t imagine anyone else I’d rather have captain a ship with me.”

“Captain?” she whispered.

He stepped forward and slowly took her hand. “Yes.”

“No children?”

“I can’t imagine a worse place than a privateer ship to raise children, darling,” he chuckled softly.

Squeezing his hand, she took a deep, shaky breath, then looked over his shoulder where Jack was busy pretending not to pay attention. “Jack?”

“Aye?”

Tilting her head to the side, she arched an eyebrow and took a few steps forward. As she walked, she slid her hand into James’, squeezing it lightly.

“No.”

“Yes!” 

“Get Barbossa to do it!”

“What, _now_ you want to defer captaincy to him? Of all the times, Jack….”

“You know how I feel about….” He waved his hands about irritably, then more specifically at James, with a look of disgust on his face.

“Jack! Don’t make me toss you overboard!”

“Fine,” he grumbled.

“Wait,” James said, pulling her back into his arms. “Does this mean…?”

“Aye,” she replied softly, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. A delighted scream escaped her when he lifted her up in his arms and twirled her around as he laughed.

“But I don’t have a ring,” he muttered, resting his forehead against hers as he put her back on her feet.

“Doesn’t matter. I don’t need one,” she said, stroking his jaw. “I’d worry I’d lose it anyway.”

“Oi!” Jack shouted, gesticulating wildly at her and James, then he motioned to a few people nearby, including Elizabeth and Gibbs, to join them. 

“Not yet,” Charlie said. “Someone has to get Groves. He _did_ ask.”

“I’ll do it, Miss Charlie,” Gibbs offered.

When Gibbs returned with Groves, Jack looked back at Charlie impatiently.

“Yes, fine, now.”

“Loosely tolerated assortment of reprobates, we are gathered here today because Charlie threatened to throw me overboard. Do you former Captain turned former Commodore turned former drunk turned former Admiral turned current pirate Norrington promise to do all the lovey dovey stuff and not hurt dear ol’ whatserface?”

Charlie punched him in the arm. “Jack!”

“Sparrow!”

She bit back a grin at James chastising him at the same time she had.

He jumped back a little, rubbing at his upper arm and pouting. “Ow! What?”

“Nevermind,” she sighed. “I don’t know what I expected.”

“Excellent!” he said proudly. Then he turned to James. “Well, do you?”

James stared at him, blinking.

“Just say ‘yes’,” Charlie muttered, “or we’ll never make it through this.”

“Yes,” he answered, still clearly skeptical of Jack’s approach.

Jack nodded, then turned to Charlie. “Well? What about you? You want to marry this uptight lump?”

Reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose, she groaned. “Yes, Jack. I do.”

“Fine,” he groused. “Then by the powers vested in me, et cetera and ad nauseam, I now pronounce you the Captains Norrington, you’re married, I'm leaving.” With that he turned and walked back to the quarterdeck.

“Jack!” Charlie shouted, starting after him. Barely more than a hairsbreadth away she felt herself being pulled back and spun around, James’ lips silencing any comment she might have made. It took her a moment to recover from the surprise, but when she did she kissed him back passionately. His hands roamed down her sides and held her close by the small of her back, fingers digging pleasantly into her skin as she sighed into his mouth and pulled him down by the lapels. Though it must have only been moments since his lips first found hers, she found herself struggling to remember why she had been so upset.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered a few cheers and some congratulations mixed in with the sounds of the crew cleaning up after the battle, but it was all just background noise.

Until a loud crash sounded.

Charlie pulled back reluctantly and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Pintel and Ragetti standing next to a broken crate and ammunition sprawled on the deck. They waved sheepishly and pointed down at the mess, then slowly began cleaning it.

A light kiss to her temple made her lean into James, who muttered in her ear, “I love you.”

The idiots were all but forgotten as she turned to him. “I love you.”

But before either could say anything else, they were surrounded by congratulations from Gibbs, Elizabeth, and Lieutenant Groves.


	26. Part 3: The Primal Chaos Thereby Came To Be

Charlie grinned across the table at her sweaty opponent. His beady eyes flicked between his cards, the table, and her, clearly trying to decide whether she was bluffing and whether or not to up the ante. The only item of value he had left was his ship, everything else was already in the pot. And it was his ship she wanted. The valuables on the table were just a nice aside. If he did not bet his ship, she would lose on purpose and challenge him again, relying on his inflated sense of self-importance after his win.

Jack had pointed him out as an opponent, mentioning his ship would be suitable, despite its unfortunate name. When she had asked, he grinned and walked away. At least ships could be renamed, whatever unfortunate name its idiot captain had given it.

“Wipe that smirk off ‘er face, Captain,” his first mate grumbled, glaring at her.

In response, she winked and blew a kiss at him.

He growled. Actually growled at her.

Biting back a laugh, she resumed staring down her opponent. Hopefully his first mate egging him on would have him put up the ship to save face.

There was no way for him to win and Charlie had not even needed to cheat. The two cards she held in her hand were the ace and jack of diamonds. Face up on the table were the king, queen, and ten of diamonds, and the eight of hearts. He would be gambling on her not having the two cards she had.

Across the table her opponent had the jack, ten, and nine of spades, and the six of diamonds. That meant the best hand he could possibly have was a straight flush to her royal flush. And she did not even have to cheat.

The man gestured to his first mate and whispered something in his ear. The growling man then took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the captain, who scribbled something on it, then tossed it into the pot.

 _The Mermaid’s Teat,_ it read.

Charlie fought hard against rolling her eyes. “I don’t know what that is,” she said, despite knowing full well that it was the ship. Jack had been right, what an unfortunate name.

“‘S me ship,” he grumbled, straightening his back with pride.

“Satisfactory?” the dealer asked.

Biting her lip, she stared at the paper and schooled her features as though she were weighing the value of it. Dear lord it was a stupid name for a ship. They were definitely renaming it. Probably would need a painting as well. Finally she nodded. “Aye.”

The dealer nodded, then turned to her opponent, signalling he should show his cards first.

The man grinned and laid down a straight flush.

With an exasperated sigh, Charlie nodded grimly. “It’s a good hand, would’ve been hard to beat.”

The captain laughed and reached for the pot, his men chortling and taunting her bad luck.

“WOULD’VE BEEN,” she shouted over the noise and pausing until it quieted, “if it weren’t for this.” She laid her own cards on the table, showing off her royal flush.

The room went silent.

Everyone stared at her, but she remained draped casually in her seat, smirking and holding her opponents stare.

All at once, the Captain stood up and every one of his men drew their pistols. “Cheater!” he accused, slapping the table.

Charlie did not move. “That’s quite the accusation,” she said. “Have you any proof?”

He drew his gun and pointed it straight at her, unwavering. “Here’s my proof.”

Raising her chin, she met his eyes. Before she could reply, though, a shot rang out and she tensed in anticipation of the hit.

Instead, the first mate slowly dropped his pistol and sagged to the ground.

Teague stepped out of the shadows, gun still smoking in his hand. “Would anyone else care to dispute the result?”

The men exchanged looks, clearly still unhappy, but they slowly lowered their weapons and walked away from the table. If looks could kill, Charlie was certain she would have perished at the look from the captain as he retreated.

Of course she felt the need to toss him a wink in reply.

One of his men dragged him from the gambling hall, muttering something into his ear.

As soon as they left, gambling, drinking, and general debauchery resumed all around.

“What do you think the odds are they’re planning something untoward?” she asked, eyeing the door.

“You did take his ship,” Teague grumbled, sliding into the seat next to her.

“Hardly my fault he was never taught about the risks of gambling” she grunted. “I didn’t even have to cheat.” Collecting her winnings, she stared again at the piece of paper. "Jack sent you, I assume."

Teague nodded. "He's collecting a crew for you and your _husband_ ," he added, watching her.

At the mention of James being her husband, Charlie felt a grin overtake her face. James Norrington was her husband. It occurred to her that, despite Jack’s declaration that they were the Captains Norrington, they had not actually discussed whether she would take his last name yet. Granted it had only been a few hours. “Not something I would’ve ever thought I would do, get married. Though I suppose doing so on a whim is no surprise.”

“And you’re sure about him?” he grunted. “Not going to bring the Royal Navy down on us all?” 

“He’s had plenty of opportunity already and he’s come through every time,” she answered honestly. “I won’t say he’s never made a bad choice, but he’s always come ‘round in the end.” She bit her lip to keep her grin under control. “He won’t let...well, he won’t let _me_ down and by extension you or Jack.”

Teague nodded and stood. “Don’t worry about the idiot.” Without another word, he left her to her thoughts and her loot.

With a sigh, she stood and pulled her satchel off, then began putting the loot in piece by piece. There was a lot of junk in her rather sizeable pile of winnings. Really, all she had wanted was the ship, but she was not about to turn down any of the jewellery or gold in the pile that could be sold for a tidy profit. She picked up a necklace that appeared to be made of dirty teeth and tossed it off the table. “That’s disgusting.”

By the time she neared the bottom of the pile, nearly half of it had been discarded as worthless junk.

Most of the remaining items seemed at least somewhat valuable. As she carefully pulled the rest into her bag, she saw a compass with a silver plate on the top, engraved with an albatross flying over an anchor. It was probably one of the nicest items in the pile. She picked it up and examined it. It appeared to be in working order.

As fixated on winning the ship as she had been she could not even recall who had bet the compass.

Smiling, she remembered James telling her about when he had held Jack’s compass, how it had pointed nowhere and everywhere. If he were to hold it now, she wondered where it would point. Without a doubt in her mind, she knew it would point to James if she were to hold it. He was her home, her true north.

The grin became wider as she realised what she wanted instead of a ring. It would be her gift to him. Her mind made up, she ran out of the gambling hall.

* * *

Later that evening, she finally went to inspect the ship, her ring finger aching slightly under its wrapping. She was not entirely sure how James would feel about what she had done and the fact that she had done it without him, but it was too late to turn back now. All she could do was hope he would love it as much as she did.

At least she had been able to find the same tattoo artist who had done the design on her wrist, someone she trusted to do a good job.

Another grin overtook her face, but she bit her bottom lip and continued to the dock where Teague had said the ship would be.

The first thing she noticed when she reached the dock was the old but sturdy galleon with the worn paint and torn sails. It looked to be at least as old as she was, if not older, but it was in good shape apart from the peeling paint and old sails. Those were easily replaced, especially in Shipwreck Cove. This was definitely her ship, there was no mistaking the poorly drawn mermaid winking on the side, one breast covered, the other showing proudly. Then she noticed the faded golden letters reading _The Mermaid’s Teat._ They were definitely renaming it as soon as possible and painting over that ridiculous mermaid.

As she got closer, she saw Jack and James talking. There was no screaming. There was no fighting. They were talking. 

She arched an eyebrow as she watched them. Was she suffering from massive blood loss and hallucinating?

Shaking her head, she pushed forward and grinned as she got close enough to hear.

“Now that was a _real_ pirate,” Jack finished. “Much better suited to Charlie than….” He waved his hands up and down at James.

“Sparrow, would you please just shut up,” James sighed.

“Getting along as well as ever, I see,” she laughed as she approached.

“Oh, thank god,” James muttered, pulling her close for a quick kiss.

Charlie smiled and slipped her arm around his waist, tucking into his left side. “Teague mentioned you were rounding up a crew for us.”

“For _you_ ,” he corrected. “And yes, call it a…,” he made a face, “wedding present.”

“Where on earth did you manage to get a ship with such an unfortunate name?” James asked, staring up at the old galleon.

“I acquired, though I dare say rescued all things considered, her in a game of chance.”

He arched an eyebrow as he tore his gaze from the ship and looked down at her. “Acquired?”

“What?” she asked innocently.

“Nevermind,” he sighed. “I suspect it’s best if I _don’t_ know.”

She looked at him and slowly grinned. “You think I cheated.”

“Did you?”

“Do you really want to know?” she asked, wondering how long she could drag this out for. Teasing James Norrington had become one of her favourite pastimes.

He sighed and turned back to the ship. “Likely not. Plausible deniability and all.”

With a grin, she pushed up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

“When you two are done being disgusting, your crew awaits aboard the _Teat,_ ” Jack grumbled.

Charlie winced. “Can we rename her now? I don’t think I can bear to hear anyone refer to our new home as the _Teat_ anymore.”

James grinned. “I’ve been thinking about her paint as well. Dark blue with a silver trim? We can call her _The Cutlass_.”

She looked at the ship. It was painted a faded green, solidly coloured all around the ship much as _The_ _Black Pearl_ was solidly black with the exception of splotches of red paint on the bowsprit. The trim along the sides actually joined into the long bowsprit to resemble a sword. She imagined that at one point the red paint was supposed to look like blood. Now it just looked like neglect. “Gold,” she muttered. “Gold trim. _The Golden Cutlass._ ”

“ _The Golden Cutlass_ ,” James agreed with a smile.

“The crew?” Jack prompted, waving his hands in the direction of the gangplank.

With a roll of her eyes, she gestured at the ship. “Lead the way, Jack.”

Too late she realised her mistake. James reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling the injured hand toward him.

“What happened?” he asked, alarm in his eyes as he examined the bandages. “Who did this?”

“It’s nothing,” she replied, perhaps a little too quickly. She tried to wave it off until they were alone, but he was not having it.

“Charlotte, this isn’t nothing. I can see the blood in the bandage,” he insisted. “What happened?”

Sighing, she turned back to Jack. “Why don’t you wait for us on the ship. We’ll be along shortly.”

“If you need to hide a body, mate,” he began, looking at James, “I know someone. Several someones, actually.”

“Jack, just go!”

When she turned back to James he looked as though he was seriously considering the offer from Jack. “It’s nothing, darling,” she assured him again. “I’ll show you. I mean, it’s not _nothing_ , it’s something very important, but it’s not what you think, and -.”

“Charlotte.”

Nodding, she unwrapped the bandage and showed him her ring finger. Freshly inked on it was a compass. The needle on it pointed to what should have been north, but where the direction should be written ‘James’ arched above the compass in the same script as the E, S, and W on their respective points. It pointed toward the tip of her finger so it would always point toward him. “It occurred to me that if I held Jack’s compass, it would point to you,” she whispered as he examined the ink and the red skin. “I couldn’t imagine a better symbol. A ring can be lost or stolen. This is forever.”

His expression remained unreadable while he took the time to inspect the tattoo and her injuries. After a while he visibly swallowed, then breathed, “Charlotte,” before bending down to capture her lips reverently. He continued to hold her tattooed hand in his, gently stroking around the irritated skin.

“Does this mean you like it?” she muttered as he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.

“Very much so,” he murmured. “You haven’t asked where it would point for me now.”

Biting her lip, she said, “do I have to?”

He shook his head, still resting against hers. “No. It’s always you.”

Grinning, she said, “we should meet Jack on the ship before he gets even more childish about it.”

“I’d ask if that’s even possible,” he began, rewrapping her hand, “but it is Sparrow.”

She took his hand as soon as he finished and led him up the gangplank to where Jack was waiting impatiently.

* * *

Charlie tried to blink as she slowly regained consciousness. Everything felt sluggish, her head was throbbing, and she definitely tasted sick in her mouth. Instead of blinking, though, her eyes slowly peeled open, instantly shutting when the light from the windows pierced through. She tried to hiss at the light, but it came out more like a strangled moan.

The last thing she remembered was Jack had introduced the new crew to them, finishing off with what she imagined he thought of as the best part - an old friend she had not seen in years, Joanna Brannon. To her, Jo was the obvious choice for their first mate. Luckily James had agreed fairly quickly.

He had also agreed fairly quickly to her and Jo leaving to catch up in the tavern.

_Oh, right. The tavern._

That explained why she felt like death warmed over.

When she heard the door open somewhere in the room she had yet to fully inspect, she groaned and pulled the nearest soft thing over her head. She was fairly sure it was a pillow, but being this hungover, she would hesitate to bet on it.

The bed creaked and sank as someone sat on the edge, and she felt a hand caressing her back.

“I brought you water and Gibbs’s cure,” James’s muffled voice said.

Angling her head so he would hear her, she grumbled, “I have to move to drink it, don’t I.”

“Unfortunately, darling,” he chuckled softly.

She pushed slowly back out of the pillow and sat upright next to him with a sigh, holding her hand out for the cure. Pinching her nose, she downed the entire flask in one go, then tucked in against James. Her head fell against his shoulder and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to forget the awful taste and suppress the urge to be sick. Fingers trailed up and down her arm soothingly as she wrapped her arms around his middle.

Without her even needing to ask, he handed her the canteen of water, murmuring into her hair, “I can’t stay long. Sparrow wants to transfer the Royal Navy over shortly.”

A groan escaped her and she shook her head against his shoulder. “Just tell Jack to go find a brothel or a tavern for the night.”

“Sparrow’s already been in Shipwreck Cove for two nights,” he laughed quietly. “I suspect for him that’s a long stay.”

“You’re not wrong,” she grumbled.

“Stay here. Rest,” he said, rubbing her back in soothing circles. “Sparrow and I can take care of it.”

Again she shook her head against his shoulder. “I’m not leaving you two alone to kill one another.” She pulled back and took a long drink from the canteen. “I’m fine, I can do this.”

“Charlotte….”

“James, when the transfer is done, Jack’ll leave,” she muttered. “I’d rather have the opportunity to say goodbye and thank him before he goes.” His hand reached up to tuck her hair back behind her ear, then cupped her cheek. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned into it, enjoying his touch.

Then her eyes shot open and looked at his hand. It was bandaged up. How the hell had she not noticed?

“What happened?” she asked, pulling it down to her lap to hold it gently. “Did you and Jack fight?”

“No,” he laughed. “Though I suppose he does bear some responsibility.”

She arched her eyebrow at that and waited for him to clarify.

Slowly he pulled his hand from her grasp and removed the bandage, revealing his ring finger now bore a tattoo that matched her own. Only her name was written in place of the northern point, though her name wrapped down the sides of his finger instead of arching. “Sparrow showed me where to go.”

“Why?” she asked, dumbstruck.

“Why?”

“After....,” she began, almost choking on the words. “After the...wedding, men don’t...they don’t wear rings. Not in England, anyway. Why would you….” She continued to stare, fixated on the tattoo.

“Charlotte,” he laughed, “if I cared about what was typically done in England, I wouldn’t have left the Admiralty to marry a pirate.” He adjusted their hands so he was caressing the skin around her own tattoo, then leaned forward to rest his head against hers. “And why wouldn’t I want the world to know you’re my wife?”

Breathless, she stared at their joined hands in her lap. Not only had he wanted to marry her, he thought it was worthy of advertisement. Somehow he really did love her. As she opened her mouth to speak, a loud crash sounded just outside the door.

“Chop chop!” Jack's muffled voice came from their dining cabin. “Either you move them off me ship, or I do!”

Charlie groaned and leaned forward onto James’s shoulder. “If you do, you’ll be joining them!”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Don’t tempt me,” she muttered quietly.

James laughed, the movement from his shoulders nauseating her slightly. “You’re certain you won’t stay here? Sparrow and I can -.”

“No,” she grumbled, pulling back and taking a large pull from the canteen to quell her nausea. “It’s fine. If someone has to kill him, it might as well be me.” His laughter followed her as she pushed off the bed and went to the door, yelling for Jack to shut up.

When she pushed open the door, Jack was standing there with a toothy grin. “Tempus fugit, darling.”

“That doesn’t even make sense. Time -.” She stopped herself before she could get into an argument she did not have the energy for. “Let’s just go.”

“Excellent!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands and leading them out.

* * *

A few hours later she stood on the deck of the _Pearl_ as the last of the prisoners, including Lieutenant Groves, were brought up and loaded onto the longboat. The hangover was mostly gone and she had made it through the transfer without being sick - though, admittedly, she had emptied her stomach into the water on the way to the _Pearl_.

Jack came to stand next to her and they both watched from the stairs leading up to the quarterdeck as Gibbs checked each prisoner before loading them into the boat. “You’re really sure about this, love?”

Shaking her head, she smiled and cast a sidelong glance at him. “Tell me you don’t think he’s a good man, Jack.”

“Maybe a little too good, aye?” he asked, glancing at her with a leery expression.

“He won’t hurt me,” she replied, still smiling. “And he’s certainly not about to betray anyone here. Not even you, walking irritant though you may be.”

“Am not!” He had the nerve to actually look offended, despite the fact that he actively wanted to irritate people and they both knew it.

Laughing a little, she said, “You know he got the tattoo. You must realise by now that he’s sincere or you wouldn’t’ve shown him where to go.”

“Told you about that, did he?”

“Aye,” she admitted. “Thank you for that, Jack.”

“Did it for you, more than him,” he huffed.

“I know.”

They watched in companionable silence for a little while, Jack biting his lip and looking as though the transfer he was watching was the last thing on his mind. “Got you something else, by the by,” he finally grunted.

Charlie squinted at him, trying to work out if this was a sincere present or if he was winding her up. “You’ve already done a lot for us, Jack. Well, for me, I suppose.”

“I have, haven’t I?” he replied, proudly. “Still, got you this.” He pulled something small and golden from his pocket and handed it over to her.

Turning it over in her hands, she saw it was an albatross. Legend said if an albatross followed your ship it brought good luck at sea, but killing one brought bad luck. This bird, though, looked alive and well with its wings spread and its beak open mid-call. “Thank you, Jack,” she said softly.

He grunted, then walked away to bark an order at Gibbs, leaving her to grin at the tiny golden bird.

When the longboat was ready to launch, Charlie was the last to board. Knowing there was no chance he would agree to it if he saw it coming, she turned at the last minute before boarding and hugged him. A strangled noise escaped him, but she felt him lightly and awkwardly return the hug. With a grin, she pulled back and hopped into the longboat. “I’ll see you around, Jack.”

The only reply she received was some colourful grumbling about the hug.

* * *

Not long after the transfer was complete, the _Black Pearl_ sailed out of Shipwreck Cove. It was a few days after that before all the repairs, replacements, painting, and resupplying was done for the _Golden Cutlass_. Teague did not come to bid them farewell, but Charlie suspected the mysterious bottle of wine that had appeared in their quarters was his way of saying goodbye.

Standing on the quarterdeck, she watched as the ship was readied for their departure. The crew scrambled across the deck as James shouted orders at them. Joanna was below decks, barking orders of her own that could occasionally be heard over the din on the main deck. They had made a good choice when selecting her as their first mate.

She bit back a grin as she watched James show one of the crew just how poor a job he had done in securing the deck cannons. He truly was at home when in command of a crew. All in all he cut a rather dashing figure in the dark jacket he wore, his hair tied at the nape of his neck with a few strays catching the wind as he directed their crew.

He caught her admiring him and grinned up at her before checking more of the rigging.

With a shake of her head, she smiled and turned back to the navigational charts she had been checking. The closest friendly port to drop the Royal Navy at had been selected and the course plotted.

“You ready?” Joanna asked, coming up beside her.

She turned to reply, but found herself tongue tied at the sight of her husband at the helm behind Joanna, hands on the wheel, impeccable posture, and a smile on his face. Handsome as ever, he looked truly at home. 

As the ship pulled out of Shipwreck Cove, she slid in beside him unable to hide her happiness. He pulled her to stand between him and the wheel and placed his hands over hers on the pegs, then bent down for a quick kiss.

When they were safely out at sea, she asked Joanna to take over at the helm and dragged James down to their quarters to celebrate privately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap. I actually finished a fic. This is a first.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's supported me by commenting, giving kudos, beta-ing, etc. You're all wonderful :)
> 
> I do have a follow up story in mind that I'm sketching out, so as soon as I get that set, I'll be posting chapter 1 for that. Please keep on the lookout, if you liked this one :)


End file.
